Clemson's Barker stands by his ratings
By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER
COLUMBIA — Move over Harvard, Yale, Princeton — and every other college. Asked to rate other universities for the influential U.S. News & World Report rankings, Clemson University President James Barker put his institution on top.
FILE/AP
Clemson University President James Barker rated the university 'strong' in the peer-review survey portion of the U.S. News &World Report rankings.
It might sound like the kind of cheerleading to be expected from a college president. But Barker's votes in the peer-review portion of the rankings, which account for 25 percent of a college's score, appeared to at least partly validate some reported claims last week by a staff member portraying Clemson as consumed with moving up the table.
Documents released by Clemson show Barker gave his own university a "strong" rating in the peer-review survey portion of the rankings. But he gave no other university that high a mark. He ranked half the undergraduate universities in the magazine's survey as "marginal," according to copies of his survey provided to The Associated Press (he responded "don't know" for 21 unnamed schools).
On Tuesday, Barker stood by the ranking he gave the university, which is No. 61 overall in the magazine's latest table of national universities.
"I believe the total undergraduate experience at Clemson is why I ranked Clemson where I did," Barker said in a telephone interview, arguing the school's "in-classroom, out-of-classroom, college-town experience," tops all others in the nation.
In a presentation last week, Catherine Watt, Clemson's former director of institutional research, reportedly told a national conference that Clemson officials rate other schools below average to make their own school look better.
She later appeared to back away from comments reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed.
Clemson last week called the reported statements "outrageous." The university denied that "all decisions at Clemson are driven by rankings" and denied reporting faculty salary data differently to U.S. News. The "insinuation of unethical behavior crosses the line," the university's statement said.
While it's widely suspected that officials at some ambitious colleges have been less than forthright in their reviews of rivals, it's impossible to say. The magazine does not make the individual survey responses public. The magazine maintains such gamesmanship wouldn't work anyway. Some universities refuse to participate in such surveys, saying they question the methodology.
In releasing the surveys completed by Clemson administrators, the university showed they had not all voted the same way or ranked every college "below average." But they also showed that Barker, in his own survey, put Clemson alone at the top.
The documents did not show precisely how he voted on what schools, but Clemson was the only "strong" vote he gave in the national universities category — which includes famous public institutions like the Universities of California and Virginia as well as the private universities of the Ivy League.
The content of Barker's survey was first reported Tuesday by The Greenville News and Inside Higher Ed.
Barker insisted his approach could not skew the survey. "You can't game these rankings," he said.
The magazine has faced persistent criticism that its rankings encourage colleges to game the system by shifting resources to rise in the standings and even voting strategically to undermine rivals. But it also denies a single voter like Barker can have any effect.
Robert Morse, the magazine's director of data research, referred a request for comment to a blog post where he describes "safeguards in place to prevent strategic voting from affecting the results."
The magazine, Morse wrote, subtracts some of the highest and lowest scores from respondents.
"We are confident that such voting practices by respondents are not affecting the results of the reputation survey in any meaningful statistical way," he said.
Previous story
Magazine rankings rule, says official, published 06/04/09
Watt, who remains at the university as director of the Alliance for Research on Higher Education at Clemson's Strom Thurmond Institute, reportedly said Clemson manipulated class sizes, artificially boosted faculty salary data and gave rival schools low grades in the rankings' peer reputation survey.
She later said the reports had missed the point of her presentation: a "discussion about a successful strategic planning effort."
The university acknowledged it has worked to improve in the influential rankings. Clemson jumped from No. 38 among public universities in 2001 to No. 22 in 2008 — an unusually quick ascent considering the rankings typically change little from year to year.
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Comments
tigers1camp (anonymous) says...
James Barker released another best kept secret of South Carolina. The Low Country has seen its influx of "Yankees".
Hold on to your hats in the upstate " The Yankees are Coming" with their academia!
They are leaving behind what they believed in, but yet they want to bring their "ideas" here!
Be Strong!
June 10, 2009 at 4:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
Speaking as only one from the class of 73, I think that, if he had voted properly, then there would be no need to defend or clarify anything. Aside from that, the survey is stupid, and the method of voting begs for dishonesty and lack of any real reasonable value.
June 10, 2009 at 7:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justlaughin (anonymous) says...
I would think that any college president worth his salt should be engaged enough in his college to give it a high ranking. If he doesn't think his college is the best, then that would indicate that either he is not the number one champion of his school or that he is not doing his job. Article is much ado about nothing.
June 10, 2009 at 7:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCHoser (anonymous) says...
Agreed justlaughin-can't believe they have put this much into this story, or non-story should I say. Several days and several articles. Geez...
June 10, 2009 at 7:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Gouper (anonymous) says...
I wonder where Ms. Watt will be working next year?
For someone with the name Watt..it doesn't appear the light has come on.
June 10, 2009 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
commonsence (anonymous) says...
Not only is Barker a cheat...he's a liar as well. Go Tigers
June 10, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sbs920 (anonymous) says...
Looks to me as though Barker is looking for a way out of the cornfields and manure that surrounds Homerville. . .
Next stop. . . ABC! Anywhere But Clemzun! LOL!
"Hey! Look at us! we are as good as Havard, Yale, MIT. ."
talk about a resume BS Artist! Barker is a legend! LOL!
June 10, 2009 at 9:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
WhatMeWorry (anonymous) says...
I agree that, as the leader of the university, he should view his school as "strong." However, not voting any other school as "strong" is disingenuous.
I wonder what, exactly, Princeton, Harvard, Cal Tech, etc. would have to improve upon to earn a "strong" rating in his opinion.
June 10, 2009 at 10:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Todd_the_Tiger (anonymous) says...
Much of the ranking system is advertising, whether it be for quality students or...GRANTS. Ever wonder why we have commercials about the rice we've genetically engineered or the rollup TV's that we helped develop? And, why we show these commercials during football games??? It's all about grants and funding. Considering how little the state of SC or our esteemed Lottery System (what a joke!) support higher education (I believe it's less than $2k annually per student...also a JOKE!!!), all "State Supported" schools have to work hard to supplement educational costs without making tuition astronomical. Just ask George Benson.
I personally enjoyed the exposure of Northern students at Clemson. It only added to the experience. And, for those that have not met or know Jim Barker, he's quite an impressive man with a passion for the school (also an alumnus).
I have visited several college campuses and the experience of the small town spurring off of a beautifully preserved Land Grant University is tough to beat. Go Tigers!!!
June 10, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
localboy (anonymous) says...
Todd,
Where did you get the lottery funding numbers? Have you paid attention? Life scholly is worth about 5K per student; the enhanced LIFE is worth 7.5K. The Palmetto Fellows is worth 6.7K Fresh and 7.5 Soph onward. A PF enhancement ups it to 10K. Additionally any SC student can attend local state community colleges for free tuition basically. THIS IS LOTTERY MONEY. Not nearly as good as Georgia's program but more than 2K.
I've met Jimmy B. and I wasn't impressed. He's an architect not an educator or administrator for that matter. How did you do on the test at Clemson where you answered what you "felt" but not supported by facts? His "passion" has become an embarrassment to alumni. Barker is about Barker and his buddies. Time to go!!
June 10, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JoanneH (anonymous) says...
They keep leaving out her comment that Clemson is "more elite...and more white." Why not report exactly what she said? Search for the report on the conference.
Also, I agree that a college president should think his college a super place to be, but if EVERY president voted that way what would be the purpose of the rankings? It's not for Homecoming Queen or anything.
Southern Association has even gone to a self-evaluation, but at least a committee comes through to see if the evaluation is valid.
June 10, 2009 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rocks66 (anonymous) says...
sbs920,
Barker earned a degree in Architecture from Clemson, back when it was a five-year curriculum. Not exactly a "...BSresume...", as you so articulately put it.
BTW, where'd you go to school? Didn't they teach you that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number? I learned that in high school.
June 10, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cougar (anonymous) says...
Rocks66:
They did not teach you basic grammar until high school?
June 10, 2009 at 3:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
summerville_guy (anonymous) says...
Go Gamecocks!
June 10, 2009 at 11:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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