US News Third Tier

[Dawg06]

Sun Belt Academics
1. Troy (Tier 3)
2. Florida Atlantic (Tier 4)
2. Florida International (Tier 4)
2. Louisiana-Lafayette (Tier 4)
2. North Texas (Tier 4)
6. Western Kentucky (South Region, Master's, Tier 1 #31)
7. Middle Tennessee St. (South Region, Master's, Tier 1 #56)
8. Arkansas St. (South Region, Master's, Tier 3)
9. Louisiana-Monroe (South Region, Master's, Tier 4)

[DONW]

Well, someone besides Dooley has now said we are elite. So, take that to the bank, ulm.

[DrDawg]

US News and World Report: Methodology
25% - Peer assessment
16% - Average graduation rate
10% - Financial resources per student
7.5% - Critical reading and math portions of the SAT and composite ACT scores
7% - Faculty compensation
6% - High school class standing in top 10%
6% - Class size, 1-19 students
5% - Average alumni giving rate
5% - Graduation rate performance
4% - Average freshman retention rate
3% - Percent faculty with top terminal degree in their field
2% - Class size, 50+ students
1.5% - Acceptance rate
1% - Percent faculty that is full time
1% - Student/faculty ratio

I personally think that Tech should focus on the "7% faculty compensation" part in order to break into the top Tier.

[detltu]

I personally think that Tech should focus on the "7% faculty compensation" part in order to break into the top Tier.

I'm sure you do. Really though endowments in the form of chairs and professorships can affect the rankings in multiple areas:
10% - Financial resources per student
7% - Faculty compensation
5% - Average alumni giving rate

Scholarships can also affect and other endowments can affect multiple rankings too.

[hisaw]

tier three will help tech on a number of levels:

acceptance rate- more applicants for same number of slots

freshman retention- taking better applicants leads to better students who don't flunk/drink themselves out of school

graduation rates-better freshman retention leads to better graduation rates

tech needs to grow, period. more students= more alumni= more $$$ coming to tech.

auburn really emphasized more % of alumni giving and it helped them jump bama this year. tech needs to do this as well.

[rabiddawg]

Except for the fact that these rankings are driven more to sell magazines, not to actually rate the universities.

While Tier 3 is obviously better than Tier 4, I would like to see Tech ranked equivalent (or higher than) with LSU. What programs are holding us back?

My accounting major crack wasn't a shot at the accounting program just me messing with you for raining on the parade with the magazine selling angle. US News is no different from Rivals or Scout in that they are ultimately in the subscription business.

[arkansasbob]

US News and World Report: Methodology
25% - Peer assessment
16% - Average graduation rate
10% - Financial resources per student
7.5% - Critical reading and math portions of the SAT and composite ACT scores
7% - Faculty compensation
6% - High school class standing in top 10%
6% - Class size, 1-19 students
5% - Average alumni giving rate
5% - Graduation rate performance
4% - Average freshman retention rate
3% - Percent faculty with top terminal degree in their field
2% - Class size, 50+ students
1.5% - Acceptance rate
1% - Percent faculty that is full time
1% - Student/faculty ratio

the bold parts are where Tech has the biggest disadvantage to lsu. the first two are partly symptoms of the state's funding (or lack thereof) and partly symptoms of the third.

[DrDawg]

I am going to respond to the thoughts of increasing Tech's student population, as I saw that mentioned several times in this thread.

Growing Tech's population isn't as simple as just saying we need more students. In engineering, we couldn't not physically handle more incoming freshmen students without either having classes that started at 6:30 at night (or in the morning I guess) or building another freshman classroom. We have intentionally built our new classrooms to max out at 40 students. This doesn't even take into account that we need more faculty to teach these new sections. So as far as increased in enrollment in engineering I don't want to see that happen until we have new facilities an more faculty. I know it is sort of a chicken/egg thing, but I really think a new engineering education building will go a long ways toward making increased engineering enrollment a possibility. This new building isn't go to come from state money either, so the alumni are going to have to kick in and make some serious donations in order for this to happen. I am sure that other colleges on campus are in similar situations.

[Dirtydawg]

I am going to respond to the thoughts of increasing Tech's student population, as I saw that mentioned several times in this thread.

Growing Tech's population isn't as simple as just saying we need more students. In engineering, we couldn't not physically handle more incoming freshmen students without either having classes that started at 6:30 at night (or in the morning I guess) or building another freshman classroom. We have intentionally built our new classrooms to max out at 40 students. This doesn't even take into account that we need more faculty to teach these new sections. So as far as increased in enrollment in engineering I don't want to see that happen until we have new facilities an more faculty. I know it is sort of a chicken/egg thing, but I really think a new engineering education building will go a long ways toward making increased engineering enrollment a possibility. This new building isn't go to come from state money either, so the alumni are going to have to kick in and make some serious donations in order for this to happen. I am sure that other colleges on campus are in similar situations.

Or, now go with me on this one, increase enrollment in areas other than Engineering.

[DrDawg]

That is why I said "In engineering . . ."

I am totally fine with increasing other areas.

[dhussdawg]

Or, now go with me on this one, increase enrollment in areas other than Engineering.

That is why I said "In engineering . . ."

I am totally fine with increasing other areas.

How would that go? Make stricter requirements to get into the Engineering program? Of course, I say it would be a good thing in one sense (stronger engineering and stronger other programs), but bad in another (people turning away because fo competition). Well, maybe we wouldnt want those that turn away anyway.

[DrDawg]

I guess what I was trying to say is that other colleges may be able to handle an increased enrollment (I actually think they are in the same boat we are in though), but I just don't see how we (the COES) can handle any significant increase in undergraduate enrollment.

We need more people (faculty, staff, technicians) and more space.

[JuBru]

I guess what I was trying to say is that other colleges may be able to handle an increased enrollment (I actually think they are in the same boat we are in though), but I just don't see how we (the COES) can handle any significant increase in undergraduate enrollment.

We need more people (faculty, staff, technicians) and more space.

I believe that is the story for the whole university. I just don't think Tech has the resources, infrastructure, faculty, staff, or much anything else to handle it. BUT, it seems things are slowly moving in that direction. I'm just happy Tech finally offers some degrees online. I really hope this thing starts getting bigger. I get to finish a degree from Tech!!! May take me a few years, but it'll be worth it in the end. Just gotta figure out what to do after that, ha.

[PawDawg]

You hit the nail on the head. Look at what's in the Monroe paper today. Tech's PR people need to get articles like this in papers along the I-10 corridor in Louisiana.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/2...llege+rankings

The print edition wrote several paragraphs at the end of the article explaining why nlulm didn't participate in the rankings. Bottom line...they didn't like the peer assessment, but neglected to tell readers that peer assessment was only 25% of the procedure. Maybe one of our fellow BBB newpaper guys can explain the need to even mention nlulm in this article.

[RougeDawg]

Louisiana Tech also ranked in the top ten in the nation for graduating students with the least amount of debt.

THAT is pretty significant!

How in the hell is Tulane's tuition more than Harvard and Princeton! Wow.