U.S. News' Latest Report Shows State's Universities Are Slipping

[USFan]

Hopefully the Top 3 will improve once the differential bill kicks in....

Florida residents should be alarmed by the latest U.S. News and World Report annual assessment of universities. It shows University of Florida and Florida State sliding backwards and the University of South Florida stagnant.

In a highly competitive business world, where an educated workforce determines a state's economic prospects, the results are discouraging - and cause for action.

The U.S. News rankings are just one benchmark of university quality, but it's an important one because it's a national ranking commonly used by talented students as they start their college search.

The University of Florida has ambitions of breaking into the top 10 list of public universities, and this ranking is a blunt reminder of just how much ground the state is losing to states that are investing more effectively in higher education.

University of Florida dropped from 47th to 49th on the list of America's Best Colleges (which includes private universities and Ivy League powerhouses) and from 13th to 17th on the list of top public universities.

Florida State dropped from 110th on the overall list to 112th. USF stayed in the third tier - which includes schools ranked below 125th - which is disappointing considering the university's potential and its location in a dynamic, growing region.

Surely we're better than 125th - aren't we?

University of Central Florida joined USF in the third tier, which showed progress since it had been in the fourth tier. But with all due respect to UCF's efforts, the state's showing in U.S. News' rankings was pathetic. Florida, after all, is the fourth largest state in the nation.

Gov. Charlie Crist recently broached the subject of Florida creating a tiered university system similar to California's, where most universities are devoted to producing bachelor's degrees and an educated work force and just a few institutions focus on research and scientific advancements.

While this could be politically explosive - every lawmaker with a hometown university wants their school to be in the top tier - it may be the design that would allow Florida to meet residents' needs while also placing some schools among the nation's elite.

A recent landmark report to the Florida Board of Governors called for the same structure, but sadly almost no one in Tallahassee is willing to consider the notion for fear of political repercussions.

The recent budget crunch should make clear that spreading resources too thin undermines all universities. The state already has some of the largest undergraduate classes and one of the lowest graduation rates in the country.

Crist's support for a tiered system is a good start. Everyone would be better served if the state focused on developing only a few great research universities while making sure all its institutions were efficient producers of a high-quality workforce.

Four months ago, we called on the governor to set a moon-shot-like goal to have a university in the top 10. Florida needs to get a plan together now, because the state university system is not just failing to reach that goal, it's losing ground.

http://www.tbo.com/news/opinion/editorials/MGBC15BFR5F.html