<p>I think I have some authority on the topic, being in the position to compare two separate universities - elite private and unsung public, and succeeding in spite of the former. In my final semester at Rice, one of my professors expressed the same sentiment, namely, that the biggest challenge the university faced going forward was recruiting faculty that measured up to the student body. Is the Rice faculty the worst? No, but you’d expect a lot more in order to match the students they admit, and you’d expect a lot more for your dime.</p>