College Rankings Were Once a Shocking Experiment

"As he related in The Atlantic the following year, "A storm at once broke over my temerarious head." An unnamed politician responded with curses and threats over the exclusion of his state's university on the list. The unranked institutions demanded to be ranked and threatened libel suits. The highly ranked wished to be ranked higher. An eager swarm of "pupils and their mothers" clamored to know what college to attend. Only the Harvard people, whose institution Embree ranked first, were happy."

"Embree, a foundation executive who had worked in higher education, wrote his Atlantic article " In Order of Their Eminence: An Appraisal of American Universities " as a less temerarious (an eminent-sounding word for "reckless") and more "authoritative" exercise. University rankings might be "unusual," Embree noted, but they were a matter of systematic study, not "personal opinion." His list ran to just 11 universities that met his definition of "eminence" (though he did list six others that were nearly eminent)."

"Embree and The Atlantic had stumbled upon the formula for a publishing juggernaut. Although the magazine has never since published university rankings, the factors that amplified the reception of Embree's findings-institutions' anxiety, consumer demand, and the appeal of controversy-have driven the popularity of its modern successor, the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, which released its most recent list last week."

Edwin Embree compiled an informal list of the dozen greatest American universities in 1934, provoking intense reactions from politicians, excluded institutions, and prospective students and parents. Embree presented his ranking as authoritative and based on systematic study rather than personal opinion, identifying 11 universities as meeting his standard of eminence with six near misses. The public outcry and institutional responses demonstrated how rankings generate anxiety, consumer interest, and sensational appeal. Those dynamics later propelled the rise of modern college rankings, notably the U.S. News & World Report list, which has become a dominant influence on perceptions of higher education.

Read at The Atlantic