Recently, the Asbury Park Press reached out to different colleges in New Jersey to receive input about the importance of college rankings.
Dr. Mary Meehan, Seton Hall’s interim president, spoke on behalf of the University. In the article, she said that although the University is mindful of its rankings, its primary focus is not its rank, but on the overall success of its students.
Meehan then further elaborated on her opinion when it comes to Seton Hall and its ranking. She acknowledges the fact that many students do take into consideration the rank of Seton Hall when it comes to choosing colleges.
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McCloud said that while rankings aren’t the most important factor, they help SHU’s reputation. Greg Medina/Photography Editor.[/caption]
Recently, the Asbury Park Press reached out to different colleges in New Jersey to receive input about the importance of college rankings.
Dr. Mary Meehan, Seton Hall’s interim president, spoke on behalf of the University. In the article, she said that although the University is mindful of its rankings, its primary focus is not its rank, but on the overall success of its students.
Meehan then further elaborated on her opinion when it comes to Seton Hall and its ranking. She acknowledges the fact that many students do take into consideration the rank of Seton Hall when it comes to choosing colleges.
She said that, “certainly we at Seton Hall look to rankings as one of many ways we measure quality.”
“The challenge is that some of the items used in determining rankings and the methods by which these items are measured are often not directly attributed to quality.” Meehan said. “For example, the reputational index used by US News is based on the subjective votes of presidents, provosts, and admissions administrators who may have very limited knowledge of the universities they are rating, or, who are direct competitors.”
Dr. Alyssa McCloud, vice president of enrollment management, said that when it comes to the University’s ranking and its correlation to student applications, “there is no specific evidence that higher rankings lead to higher applications, but in general academic and student successes are very important.”
“Over the last several years, we have been receiving record numbers of applications with this year being the largest applicant pool ever as well as the largest freshman class ever,” McCloud said.
McCloud believes that more students are finding out about the numerous opportunities that Seton Hall is offering to them. She said that statistics such as the Business Leadership program being ranked number one in the nation, helped with the University’s reputation.
“All of these things contribute to our reputation and to increasing interest from prospective students.” McCloud said.
Hannah Sakha can be reached at hannah.sakha@student.shu.edu.
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