Among public research universities, IU in top 10

New study published by Johns Hopkins Press

By Jeff Austin

A recent study, based on such data as research dollars and numbers of publications, has resulted in Indiana University being listed as the country's eighth best public research university.

University rankings -- from the highly regarded study by the National Research Council to popular press polls by Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report -- usually have at least one crucial element in common: They all rely, to some degree, on opinions of university reputation.

Results of the new study are found in the book The Rise of American Research Universities (Johns Hopkins University Press). The authors argue that ratings based on reputation can be misleading and reflect entrenched, and often outdated, notions of which institutions are America's academic leaders.

"While we must remember that ratings are subjective and open to interpretation, we are pleased to be rated in the top 10 by this study," said IU President Myles Brand. "Most rating systems fail because of their inordinate subjectivity, but the current study seeks to be more objective."

From first through 10th, the top public research universities as listed in the new study are: University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Santa Barbara, SUNY Stony Brook, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois, IU, University of California at San Diego and the University of Colorado.

"By our own measure, IU ranks among the top 10 public universities in the nation, so we agree with the results of the study," Brand said. "It's also interesting to note that four Big Ten universities are among the top 10 in the study, which underscores the importance of Midwestern research universities in higher education."

George Walker, vice president for research and dean of the University Graduate School, said, "In addition to the excellence of our research and graduate programs, our level of productivity for funding dollars is also very efficient. Unlike many other institutions in recent years, we have not seen a decrease in external funding. One of the reasons for that, especially on the IUB campus, has been the development of interdisciplinary programs. Such programs not only hold the keys to future breakthroughs in the sciences, they provide the new classroom and laboratory experience needed at both the undergraduate and graduate levels."

The Rise of American Research Universities was written by Hugh Davis Graham of Vanderbilt University and Nancy Diamond of Goucher College.

The study offers an empirical analysis of faculty productivity based on research grants, published research, peer citation of published work and arts and humanities awards.

Diamond, an administrator at Goucher College, measure research productivity of entire campuses across disciplines ranging from medicine to humanities, and they analyze data on research activity in per capita terms.

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