KU ranking rises slightly, but university leaders have bigger goal in mind

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas rose slightly in rankings released today, but university leaders say ongoing efforts to strengthen KU’s academics and research will have benefits far beyond rankings.

In the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” KU rose to 46th among public universities, up one place from last year. Overall, KU ranks 101st this year, up three places.

“Many students, families and others look to rankings to get a sense of where a university stands. They’re one measure of a university’s stature, so they’re important. But our primary focus is on making changes at KU that will help students succeed and enhance our ability to deliver benefits for Kansans,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter noted that ranking methodologies frequently change, so the university is targeting its strategic plan toward improving areas with direct and measurable benefits, such as increasing the percentage of students who graduate from KU.

“The improvements in academic opportunities for students and support for faculty research envisioned in the strategic plan will likely increase our rankings. But they will definitely put us on track to being recognized as a top-tier public international research university, and will enable us to better educate leaders, build healthy communities and make discoveries that will change the world,” Vitter said.

The schools of Engineering and Business also saw gains in the undergraduate rankings, with Engineering rising two places to 44th among public universities and Business rising two places to 33rd.