Fitton Center studio named
Sneak peek at 'Runway' finale
'Suor Angelica' rehearsal
Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > August > 10 > Entry
WSU tops UD in America’s Best Colleges poll — both dissed?
The University of Dayton may well land a Top 25 basketball ranking this coming season, but UD didn’t fare so well in the just-released FORBES’ list of America’s best Colleges.
Dayton was ranked 567th of the 600 colleges in the poll.
Wright State was ahead of UD at 554, as was the University of Cincinnati (538), Ohio State (361), Miami University (331) , Wittenberg (301), Cedarville (284), Xavier (196) and 18 other Ohio colleges and universities.
The top school on the list was the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. It was followed by Princeton University (2), California Institute of Technology (3) , Williams College (4) and Harvard University (5).
As writer Hana R. Alberts explained on Forbes.com:
“Our college rankings are based on five criteria: graduation rate (how good a college is at helping its students finish on time); the number of national and global awards won by students and faculty; students’ satisfaction with their instructors; average debt upon graduation; and postgraduate vocational success as measured by a recent graduate’s average salary and alumni achievement.
“We prize the undergraduate experience and how well prepared students are for the real world rather than focusing on inputs such as acceptance rates and test scores. Our data are from publicly available sources rather than surveys filled out by the schools themselves.”
She explained the rankings are compiled in conjunction with Ohio University economist Richard Vedder and his Center for College Affordability & Productivity.
West Point got the top ranking, Alberts said, because of, among other things, the intense work ethic of the cadets, their drive to succeed on all fronts and because there is no financial cost to the student.
Just as the West Point ranking can be debated — and Alberts notes the many critics of the academy — so too can be the low assessment of UD and WSU.
I’m thinking Forbes should open a branch office here. Dayton has become one of its favorite punching bags whenever its trying to fill in the back end of one of numerous polls.
As for the America’s Best Colleges list — which can be found in full at Forbes.com — it includes various data on each school, including total annual cost, percentage of applicants admitted, average range of SAT and ACT scores, student to teacher ratio and notable alumni.
I’m not sure of all their numbers, but the notable alumni sections that Forbes listed for the various schools is quite skewered in some cases and paltry in many. None more so than Miami University. And in the case of Wittenberg, there is some wrong information. While Al Davis did attend there, he graduated from Syracuse University.
Anyway, here’s some of what Forbes listed for a few of our nearby schools:
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON:
Total cost $38, 210; percent of applicants admitted ,74; SAT range 1050-1260; ACT 23-28; student to faculty ratio, 16 to 1.
Notable alumni — Jon Gruden ‘86, Monday Night Football analyst; Joseph Hinrichs ‘89, vice president of Ford Motor Company; Bob Schaffer ‘84, Colorado State Board of Education Chairman and former U.S. Congressman from Colorado; Dan Patrick ‘79, current Sports Illustrated columnist and syndicated sports radio talk show host, former ESPN anchor.
WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY:
Total cost $18, 865; percent of applicants admitted, 85; SAT range 870-1120; ACT 18-24, student to faculty ratio, 20 to 1.
Notable alumni — Gregory Lockhart, U.S. Attorney; Robert Pollard, singer and songwriter for Guided by Voices; Siva S. Banda, aerospace engineer; Anthony Shaffer, U.S. intelligence officer.
CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY:
Total cost $28,102, percent of applicants admitted NA; SAT range 1070-1290; ACT 22-27; student to teacher ratio, 15-1
Notable alumni — Matt Shiraki ‘06, served at the White House in the Bush administration; Michael Koerbel ‘00, director/producer of award-winning re:View film series; Stacie (Bennett) Cox ‘00, NASA shuttle engineer; Paula Faris Krueger ‘97, sports anchor, NBC Chicago; Megan Waters Lynch ‘08, summer internship with the United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN), pursuing masters in politics with a concentration in international relations at New York University.
WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY:
Total cost $44,550; percent of applicants admitted, 69; SAT range 1060-1230; ACT 23-29, Student to teacher ratio. 12-1.
Notable alumni — Adam Willis Wagnalls, co-founder of Funk and Wagnalls Company; Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders NFL franchise; Hugh M. Raup, botanist and ecologist; John E. McLaughlin, former deputy director of the CIA, senior fellow at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and Brookings Institution.cost
MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Total cost $26,734, percent of applicants admitted, 80; SAT range 1100-1290; ACT 24-29; student to teacher ratio ,15 to 1.
Notable alumni — Jeffrey Vanderbeek ‘81, Chairman and managing partner of the New Jersey Devils hockey franchise.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY:
Total cost $22,554; percent of applicants admitted, 62; SAT range 1130-1330; ACT 25-30; student to teacher ratio, 13 to 1.
Notable alumni — Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia; Roy Lichtenstein, artist; R.L. Stine, author; Patricia Heaton, Emmy Award-winning actress; Erin Moriarty, CBS news correspondent and Emmy Award winner.
Kenyon College — at No. 22 — got the highest ranking of an Ohio school.
The rest were: College of Wooster (74), Oberlin (88), Marietta (112), Denison (125), Capital (138), Ohio Wesleyan (183), Xavier (196), Hiram (204), Otterbein (221), John Carroll (273), Cedarville (284), Wittenberg (301), Baldwin Wallace (305), Miami (331) and OSU (361).
Case Western Reserve was 439, followed by Ohio University (471), Mount Union (481), UC (538), WSU (554), Kent State (557), Akron (560), Youngstown State (562), BGSU (566), UD (567) Ohio Northern (570) and Toledo (583.)
Permalink | Comments (46) | Post your comment |
Comments
By db
August 12, 2009 12:34 PM | Link to this
hey ud grad, diss was poor slang that went the way of groovy, sit in your little room and kiss your tattoo and play video games, tweezer boyBy Alex
August 11, 2009 9:35 PM | Link to this
Glad to see some fellow UD grads acting just as I’d expect: touting their supreme drinking habits as something admirable and assuming working for large firms means success. How about a little thanks for being ranked in the top 600. UD has got a lot to improve upon anyways. Good school for sure, but there’s no reason to get upset because other schools ranked higher, based on numbers that really dont mean that much.By Diss Miss
August 11, 2009 1:06 PM | Link to this
Fred B said, “What is the DDN doing to promote employment and entice employers to come here and invest?” Last I checked it is the Dayton Chamber of Commerce job to do what you are asking and the DDN’s job to report news. Fred must have went to UD.By Tom
August 11, 2009 12:34 PM | Link to this
What is the criteria used? West Point is #1 and the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy are not second and third? Check out any credable listing and Miami University and OSU are in the top 60 academic public universities in the U.S.By HAHAHA
August 11, 2009 11:29 AM | Link to this
UD GRADUATES HAD A MUCH BETTER COLLEGE EXPERIENCE! NOT TO MENTION THEY ARE A BUNCH OF BOSSES WHO COULD OUT DRINK ANYONE ELSE ON THE LISTBy Rowdy_Flyer
August 11, 2009 9:12 AM | Link to this
From my time at both WSU and UD, I’d say this is a fairly accurate assessment. UD may have the name recognition and the elite heritage, but in terms of curriculum and accessibility, WSU is on par or better. I’ve seen plenty of talented, well-educated people come out of both schools, as well as a fair share of Neanderthals. Congratulations to both for making the list. I must admit, it’s funny to see the UD elitist whine about being ranked below lowly WSU.By scott
August 11, 2009 8:51 AM | Link to this
Hey Majicmuzik. So you know what every UD grad and WSU grad is doing? There are probably grads from WSU doing better than UD grads and some UD grads doing better than WSU grads. My wife and I graduated from WSU. I am a manager of a transportation company and my wife is a bank mamager,and we make 6 figures. I don’t think we would be doing any better if we had gone to UD.By Majicmuzic
August 11, 2009 8:23 AM | Link to this
That is total crap! Look where U.D. grads are now compared to WSU grads… does not compare! I am sick of these stupid lists that the idiotic media posts. How about providing the source and validity of such surveys with the article? Of course, they never do that!By Rudy Flyer
August 11, 2009 7:48 AM | Link to this
This list doesn’t mean squat! The proof is in the pudding. WSU grads ask you if you want fries with that. UD grads work for Fortune 500 companies. Enough said.By Clint
August 11, 2009 6:06 AM | Link to this
It is sad for Cedarville when you have to report one of your notable graduates is a summer intern.By Mark
August 11, 2009 3:25 AM | Link to this
PFFFT to Forbes.By Charles
August 10, 2009 10:07 PM | Link to this
Remember all those comments on this website about how a WSU diploma isn’t worth anything and WSU grads all work for UD grads?….well that’s history… WSU > UD!By Pharrell
August 10, 2009 7:12 PM | Link to this
I’m not disputing that “dissed” has become a word. I’m saying it’s inappropriate in a news headline. CNN.com is just as bad. I’ve seen headlines like “Guy Falls off Bridge.” “Guy?” How about “Man?” Up next - “Dude Falls off Bridge.”By amy jones
August 10, 2009 4:29 PM | Link to this
I graduated from OSU and I never had a class with only 16 students! The 16:1 ratio is skewed in that a lot of profs do research and don’t teach! Looks like their methodology is lacking big timeBy Joe
August 10, 2009 4:16 PM | Link to this
Why did Tom Archdeacon write this? He is a sports columnist. This has nothing to do with sports. Perhaps if he has nothing to write about they should have forced him out and not Hal McCoy who has plenty to write about. How about letting a news guy write about the news. This has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with sports.By UD Grad
August 10, 2009 3:26 PM | Link to this
Dissed is a word. Get over it and get a dictionary! New words are added annually.By Jamal
August 10, 2009 3:04 PM | Link to this
screw forbesBy Jessica
August 10, 2009 2:55 PM | Link to this
Re: Stacy Law The DDN didn’t compile the list of notable grads, forbes did.By James W.
August 10, 2009 2:41 PM | Link to this
OSU, UD, and WSU not listed in the top 50? I’d say this pool wasn’t based on pure academics and the success of graduates in the real world.By Stacy Law
August 10, 2009 2:35 PM | Link to this
What is it with the DDN? Miami’s notable Alumni HAPPENS TO INCLUDE: U.S. President Benjamin Harrison; Congressman Mike Dewine; CEO’s of Nestle, P&G, Smuckers and AT&T. And DDN highlights a partner in a hockey franchise? What is wrong with you people?!?By Big Ben
August 10, 2009 2:30 PM | Link to this
The reason Ben Rothlisberger was not listed is that, Forbes doesn’t recognize notable sex offenders.By Re: FredB
August 10, 2009 2:20 PM | Link to this
FredB, unless people subscribe to DDN and don’t just read it online, there isn’t much DDN can do about providing jobs. All they can do is report the news.By db
August 10, 2009 2:17 PM | Link to this
whoever used “dissed” in the headline should be instantly fired. what a moronBy MB
August 10, 2009 2:10 PM | Link to this
Granted Ben didn’t graduate from Miami, but what about: President Benjamin Harrison, Senator Mike Dewine, Richard T Farmer: Cintas Founder, Richard Smucker: Chairman of Smuckers, and the cradle of coaches that includes Paul Brown, Wilbur “Weeb” Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, and Bo Schembechler. That took a 5 second google search. This person just did not do her homework. I do not trust her ratings.By cali
August 10, 2009 2:08 PM | Link to this
YO DAWG. DON’T BE DISSIN MAH SKOOL. lol.By FredB
August 10, 2009 1:56 PM | Link to this
DDN: Stop criticizing Forbes. Dayton is in crisis due to the lack of GOOD PAYING JOBS. When will our fair city and the media WAKE UP and address this issue?By 5-16-567
August 10, 2009 1:37 PM | Link to this
As someone who has attended three institutions (#5 Harvard, #16 BC, #567 UD), I find the rankings very interesting. College ranking methodologies have been questioned over the past few years; this is an interesting example. The fact that so many private and elite colleges top this lists is not surprising, given that most provide the bells and whistles that make the “college life” what it is. Student as “consumer” is really reflected in this list.By FredB
August 10, 2009 1:37 PM | Link to this
DDN: Stop criticizing Forbes. What does “being a punching bag” have to do with a ranking of colleges? Dayton is in crisis. No amount of “feel good happy talk” is going to counteract the lack of GOOD PAYING JOBS in this area. What is the DDN doing to promote employment and entice employers to come here and invest?By Al Davis
August 10, 2009 1:33 PM | Link to this
I went to Wittenberg?By Al Davis
August 10, 2009 1:32 PM | Link to this
I went to Wittenberg?By BB
August 10, 2009 1:24 PM | Link to this
Ben Rothlisberger isn’t an alum. He didn’t graduate, so he’s not an alum; just an attendee! So he probably contributed to that negative statistic of non-graduates.By Troll
August 10, 2009 1:12 PM | Link to this
Where did Heidelberg Univeristy end up on this list.By Michael
August 10, 2009 12:57 PM | Link to this
It is important to note that there are a number of these subjective ranking lists for colleges and universities and once you get past the obvious choices like Harvard and Yale, they are less consistent than the BCS.By Michael
August 10, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
It is important to note that there are a number of these subjective ranking lists for colleges and universities and once you get past the obvious choices like Harvard and Yale, they are less consistent than the BCS.By jake
August 10, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
These two Universities were not “dissed”, they just ranked low. Calling this “dissing” is like saying Dayton isn’t a dying city. Everyone needs to face facts.By BBo
August 10, 2009 12:49 PM | Link to this
The debt grade at end of graduation isn’t a fair comparison, because all of the military academies are tuition free as long as you make it through. And to go to the ivy leagues you are either on a full ride or your parents are wealthyBy red
August 10, 2009 12:49 PM | Link to this
I know this is a blog and Archdeacon’s job is to ‘stir’ the pot, but this is pathetic. It is obvious that the wrong sports writer retired. Arch, please….what is this? Pathetic to say the least.By JV
August 10, 2009 12:49 PM | Link to this
Wasn’t Big Ben Rothlisberger a notable alumni from Miami? Why was he omitted? Or does being a two-time super bowl champion not make the cut?By mjm
August 10, 2009 12:44 PM | Link to this
When you “retire” experienced writers before their time who worked in all areas of news this is what you end up with. A newspaper that is really just a tabloid.By Pharrell
August 10, 2009 12:39 PM | Link to this
I came her to comment on the use of “dissed” as well. In fairness, though, the person using that in the headline is probably not a news writer. Right?By anonymous
August 10, 2009 12:29 PM | Link to this
It rather pleases me to see WSU outrank UD. Can remember a time when UD grads would look down on WSU grads as not being quite up to the UD standard.By flipper
August 10, 2009 12:11 PM | Link to this
Everybody thinks their college is the best. In those 5 categories UD was not high up on the list, as it were.By KC
August 10, 2009 12:09 PM | Link to this
I’ve seen better research and class projects from local college students than what this Forbes brainchild compiled. Maybe Steve Forbes should be recruiting more locally than from those ivy league diploma mills.By Go Flyers
August 10, 2009 12:07 PM | Link to this
who cares what forbes thinks? how are they qualified to print such reports anyway? with enrollment and number of applicants higher than they’ve ever been I don’t think UD or WSU have anything to worry about!By Emily
August 10, 2009 12:07 PM | Link to this
Shouldn’t we be happy that we made the list at all? There are thousands of colleges in America, and both WSU and UD are on it. That’s pretty darn good if you ask me.By wow
August 10, 2009 12:00 PM | Link to this
Did DDN really use the word “dissed” in a headline? Someone didn’t go to journalism school.