<p>“Rjk, not when it is done over a long period of time by punishing your foes and helping your “friends.” Geographical and historical cronyism reigns supreme in that survey that is hardly filled by … objective and independent academics.”</p>
<p>xiggi, the PA has not changed much in the last 25 years. I do not think the voters have been influenced by cronyism with the passage of time. Also, I do not think the PA rating would change significantly if the voters were perfectly knoweldgeable and completely neutral. This said, I agree 100% that the PA should be much more transparent and audited for consistancy and accuracy. I also believe, and I have been saying this for years, that every variable in the USNWR formual (particularly selectivityy, faculty and financial resources) should be audited for accuracy and consistancy. Additionally, graduate rates and alumni donations should be assigned 0 weight as some universities will do better than others based on variables a university cannot control, such, as size of alumni base and makup of undergraduate majors (schools with large Engineering programs will have lower graduation rates.</p>
<p>I expect several other high profile universities to be exposed in the next 12-18 months, at which time stricter rules will be applied.</p>