New College national ranking drops double-digits for the second year in a row
New College of Florida’s national stock took a hit for the second year in a row, with another drop in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of the top liberal arts schools in the county — though New College representatives say the ranking doesn't accurately reflect the school's status.
The list ranked New College the No. 122 liberal arts college in the U.S — 22 spots lower than its 2023 ranking of No. 100 — in a four-way tie with Roanoke College in Virginia, Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and the University of Minnesota Morris. The lower ranking follows last year’s 24-spot drop amid the school’s conservative transformation.
New College’s drop caps off a year of continued friction as the school implements its new administration, including a board of trustees overhauled with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked conservative appointees. The top faces arrive ahead of a new era of growth, as the school plans to request more than $200 million from the Florida university system’s Board of Governors over the next five years to facilitate changes.
New College spokesperson Nate March attributed the drop as a reaction to the previous administration, citing U.S. News and World Report's use of data from 2014 through 2021 in categories like graduation rates, borrower debt and financial resources. The school ranking don't yet reflect the performance of its current administration because of the report's methodology, March said.
"Our drop in the rankings clearly demonstrates how bad things were getting before the new administration was installed," March told the Herald-Tribune.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/education/2024/09/30/new-college-national-ranking-drops-double-digits/75375011007/
"It's not us, it's them woke other guys that are to blame!"
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