"I don't think many unbiased people would agree that UMichigan is on a par with any of those other schools in Alexandre's Group 2."
Really? So in your estimation, a significant portion of the academic world (over 50%) is biased in favor of Michigan? How do you explain Michigan's peer assessment score of 4.5/5.0 (tied with Penn at #12 in the nation). And is Gerhard Casper also "biased" toward Michigan? I fail to see the connection. He never studied or taught in Ann Arbor and yet, he had this to say about the University:
"I am extremely skeptical that the quality of a university - any more than the quality of a magazine - can be measured statistically. However, even if it can, the producers of the U.S. News rankings remain far from discovering the method. Let me offer as prima facie evidence two great public universities: the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and the University of California-Berkeley. These clearly are among the very best universities in America - one could make a strong argument for either in the top half-dozen. Yet, in the last three years, the U.S. News formula has assigned them ranks that lead many readers to infer that they are second rate: Michigan 21-24-24, and Berkeley 23-26-27."
Criticism of College Rankings - September 23, 1996
Can you name me 15 universities that place more students into top graduate programs or companies?
Gellino, I am not biased. Most of the academic and professional world agrees with my point of view.