<p>Taxguy…your cause is noble…increase the Syracuse ranking…unfortunately I fear that you are trying to push a really heavy boulder up a really big hill. You might be able to overcome it but it is more likely that you will not.</p>
<p>I think Syracuse faces a whole host of challenges that will relegate it to at a minmum its current level and a probable further slide in the rankings…</p>
<p>No medical school. Medical schools often drive the research bus. If you don’t have a medical school then you better have a location that facilitates research funding. As an example, Iowa State has no medical school but does $225,000,000 in research yearly. Syracuse does about $45,000,000. Why? Location. Syracuse would need an influx of billions of dollars (probably in the range of 5 billion) for faculty, facilities, and resources just to reach the level of an Iowa State. This will not happen. </p>
<p>Its has an odd place in the academic landscape that is tough to compete in. It is neither a research school nor a small university (along the lines of a Lehigh). It can’t compete with Northwestern, BC, Miami etc for those top students that want a private school but with a smaller undergrad population. Syracuse has about 14,000 undergrads, the others around 9,000 and they all look and feel more ‘intimate’.</p>
<p>Geography. Many southern and western schools lower in the rankings today will pass Syracuse as population, good students, and money continues to move south and west. Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, and Auburn will all eventually pass Syracuse in the rankings.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>