Slip in "best value" rankings discouraging

By Staff Editorial     1/28/10 6:00pm

Despite the Vision for the Second Century's plan to continually improve all aspects of the Rice experience, the newly released rankings from The Princeton Review hint that the opposite is happening (see story, page 1). Rice, while still ranked first in "quality of life," has gradually slipped in "best value" and now sits in seventh place behind a mix of small East Coast liberal arts schools and Ivy League powerhouses. While Rice is still in the top 10, we cannot be satisfied with continual downgrades. In the past, Rice sold itself on its "best value" reputation, with need-blind admission and an increasing no-loan income threshold. However, other schools have caught on to the needs of today's college students and their families, and are now leaving Rice in the dust with even more generous financial aid policies. Has the V2C pushed the university too far?

It is clear that the administration is willing to sacrifice the notion of a good value for that of prestige. To this end, the administration has put its neck on the line, showing itself willing to let Rice slide in certain areas. We cannot express enough hope that we jump in the overall rankings once the 2010 rankings are released. If not, we would not be surprised if our "happiest students" crown is the next to fall from our head.

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