This week, U.S. News and World Report rankings are disputed, Cornell takes steps to improve mental health on campus, the University of Georgia and California State University systems update their standardized testing policies, and law school remains in high demand.
The University of Southern California has withdrawn its Rossier School of Education from the U.S. News and World Report rankings of graduate programs. USC’s decision was based on their discovery of inaccuracies in the data that had been reported to the publication.
In other ranking news, Columbia University math professor, Michael Thaddeus, believes the University’s U.S. News and World Report ranking of #2 is inaccurate. Thaddeus alleges administrators submitted inaccurate data on class sizes, the percentage of full-time faculty with doctorates or other terminal degrees, and how much the university spends on instruction. You can read the entire 11,000 word report on his faculty page.
Following a university-wide mental health review, Cornell’s College of Engineering is reducing the number of credits students will be allowed to take in a semester. The review recommended additional policies to improve mental health on campus, including implementing a credit cap at each college, grading on a curve, and mandatory meetings between students and their advisors.
The University of Georgia system has announced a temporary extension of its test-optional policy — through fall 2022 — at 23 of 26 campuses.
In more testing news, the California State University system — the largest public university system in the U.S. — has announced that it will permanently drop the standardized testing requirement for admission.
According to Inside Higher Ed, a combination of recent events has spurred a growing interest in law school. Applications to law schools increased dramatically in 2021, and the numbers remain historically high this year.
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