US News 2012 rankings

[Mama_Bull]

U.S. News' 2012 Best Colleges list

USF #181 National Universities

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/usf-1537

USF  #T8 Up-and-Coming Schools

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/up-and-coming

[Mama_Bull]

Last year, USF was #183 and #T16 Up- and-Coming, so there has been an improvement. Still, the very bad student to faculty ratio is probably the main reason why we aren't moving up as fast as we would like.

[ctbrown24]

Last year, USF was #183 and #T16 Up- and-Coming, so there has been an improvement. Still, the very bad student to faculty ratio is probably the main reason why we aren't moving up as fast as we would like.

It's the 3-400 person introduction classes that kill it. Most of my classes after "Intro to _____" had 20-25 people in them, which was a perfect size.

[Ghost]

Need to hire more professors+add more classes, not cutting back on both.

[Apis Bull]

How much better of an education can you get at say the #100 school over the #181 school?

[Bull Martin]

How much better of an education can you get at say the #100 school over the #181 school?

While the reality is not much (outside of selective programs), the perception is worth the pursuit to climb the list.  Judy says the goal is to get in the AAU.  We're going to need to significantly improve.

[hbryan]

Central Florida Knagits are #177 and #4.

This has happened on Genshaft's watch.  I'm not happy about it. >

[Oldsmobull]

Trade UCF's perceived Disney World theme park atmosphere with USF's perceived Suitcase City atmosphere and USF would leapfrog way ahead of UCF in rankings.

[Paisa el Toro]

Trade UCF's perceived Disney World theme park atmosphere with USF's perceived Suitcase City atmosphere and USF would leapfrog way ahead of UCF in rankings.

Their undergraduate experience is slightly better than ours, but our graduate programs are, for the most part, better than theirs. It's more than just the Disney World vs. Suitcase City perception.

[Tampabull99]

USNWR rankings have always been suspect for several reasons, most notably the weight given to endowment and the relative lack of weight given to research dollars.  For example, does anyone really think the academic rigor and research quality at USF is significantly lower than schools like Univ. of Arkansas (#132) or Miss. State (#157)?

Rankings should really be thought of as very general tiers and not specific numbers:

1-Top tier private universities (most ivy league schools + Stanford and maybe duke)

2-Really good private universities plus top tier flagship publics (Vandy, ND, a couple UC schools, UVA, Michigan)

3- The rest of the public schools with good academics and a large research profile + decent private universities (UF, Ohio State, Baylor, etc.)

4-Average public schools + some average private schools.

5-Universities with only a local or regional focus (directional state schools in small states, small private colleges)

I think the size of USF and specifically the amount of research we do puts us solidly in #4 (I think we have grown from 5 to 4 in the last 10-20 years) and I really think the only thing holding us back from being considered in #3 is academics which are steadily improving.