VOLUME 13, NO. 2     NOVEMBER 2000

WPI measures up

University among most wired

WPI's commitment to maintaining an up-to-date information infrastructure has again been recognized by the editors of Yahoo! Internet Life. In its latest report on the nation's 100 "most wired colleges," the magazine ranked WPI 23rd. Published since 1997, the survey was broadened considerably for 2000. While 571 colleges and universities were included last year, all of the more than 3,600 accredited colleges and universities in the United States were invited to participate this year; according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 1,300 took part.

This year, for the first time, the rankings are divided into several categories. WPI is ranked under "Universities and Research Schools." Topping that group were Carnegie Mellon, the University of Delaware, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Indiana University, Bloomington.

The rankings take into consideration such factors as the availability of computers and printers on campus, the use of PCs by undergraduates, access to and usage of e-mail, how schools use the Web, the scope of campus networks, and whether schools offer courses on the Web and distance-learning programs.

Yahoo! Internet Life found that 98 percent of participating schools now allow prospective students to apply online (WPI was a pioneer in this area); 84 percent allow students to reserve library books electronically; 68 percent offer Web-based registration; and 11 percent require students to own computers.

"WPI has made significant investments in its on-campus network and external internetworking, including the creation of the Internet2 Goddard GigaPop," notes Thomas J. Lynch, vice president for information technology. "In addition, we've adopted the Blackboard CourseInfo course management software. About 100 of our instructors are making heavy use of the Web, and a number are researching assessment of technology-mediated learning. We've also equipped all student project teams and faculty advisors who travel off campus with laptop computers. All of this is helping us maintain a leading-edge program."

To learn more, visit the Yahoo! Internet Life Web site, www.zdnet.com/yil/content/college/.

U.S. News ranks WPI 57th among national universities

In the 2001 edition of the annual college rankings published by U.S. News & World Report magazine, WPI placed 57th among the 228 institutions in the national university category (147 public and 81 private universities). This ranking put WPI among the schools in the category's second tier.

rinceton University, Harvard, Yale, Caltech and MIT, in that order, took the top five slots (Caltech was ranked first last year).

In another category, WPI was 11th among national universities with the highest percentage of classes with under 20 students (71 percent; a tie with Brandeis and Princeton). The University placed 50th among 114 engineering schools that offer doctoral degrees in engineering (a tie with Colorado School of Mines, Rutgers, University of California at Irvine, University of Delaware and University of Massachusetts at Amherst).

The U.S. News rankings are based on several key measures of quality, which fall into seven broad categories. Scores for each measure are weighted to arrive at a final overall score. This year's methodology formula used the same measures and weights as last year, according to the magazine. The complete rankings and more information on the methodology U.S. News employs can be found at www.usnews.com.

Debate over the annual rankings has raged for years, with college administrators and faculty members questioning their value and fairness. The National Opinion Research Center recently asserted that the rankings lack any defensible empirical or theoretical basis. Defending the annual guide, the editors of U.S. News say they believe students and their families should have as much information as possible about the comparative merits of the educational programs at America's colleges and universities. "This data serves as an objective guide," they say, "by which students and their parents can compare academic quality of schools."