Sorry, never heard of it: Wittenberg's new quest for prestige
Jesse Steele
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: News
We've all done it. You get that question from people and for some reason you feel a little embarrassed. You know what their response will be. Maybe you should just lie?
Sound familiar? This thought process has been echoed by many Wittenberg students in response to the dreaded "Where do you go to school?" question. So why do some students stutter and play it off as "some little school in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio," instead of proudly decreeing "I go to Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio!" Do students just assume no one has heard of it, or are they embarrassed about where they go to school? Why should they be? Wittenberg is one of the most prestigious liberal arts schools in the nation, right?
Well, maybe. A recent nationally published report may serve to cut into that prestige and give Wittenberg students a real reason to mumble. The report was published in the 2007 US News and World Report College Rankings. Anyone who stopped to examine these rankings would notice that the prestigious Wittenberg University, after five years in the second tier among liberal arts schools, had remained in the bottom tier by the US News standards.
While US News does not rank schools by number in the third tier, the rankings from the Washington monthly place Wittenberg at number 118 amongst liberal arts colleges. This ranking puts Wittenberg behind Denison at 108, Wooster at 98, Ohio Wesleyan at 96 and Oberlin at 18.
So why should students care? As James Monks and Ronald G. Ehrenberg said in their 1999 analysis for the National Bureau of Economic Research, "Our analysis indicates that a less favorable ranking leads an institution to accept a greater percentage of its applicants […] smaller percentage of applicants matriculate, and resulting entering class is of lower quality." Such a disaster could spell big trouble for Wittenberg students and faculty, so why is the level of concern so low on campus?
The truth is that most students aren't even aware of the change. Sophomore Andrew Goldstein said, "Really? I thought we were one of the best. Why do we pay $40,000 a year?" While the tuition is actually closer to $37,000, Goldstein's question is a valid one. Are Wittenberg students paying too much for an education that is less than they were promised? Wittenberg President Mark Erickson says no.
Sound familiar? This thought process has been echoed by many Wittenberg students in response to the dreaded "Where do you go to school?" question. So why do some students stutter and play it off as "some little school in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio," instead of proudly decreeing "I go to Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio!" Do students just assume no one has heard of it, or are they embarrassed about where they go to school? Why should they be? Wittenberg is one of the most prestigious liberal arts schools in the nation, right?
Well, maybe. A recent nationally published report may serve to cut into that prestige and give Wittenberg students a real reason to mumble. The report was published in the 2007 US News and World Report College Rankings. Anyone who stopped to examine these rankings would notice that the prestigious Wittenberg University, after five years in the second tier among liberal arts schools, had remained in the bottom tier by the US News standards.
While US News does not rank schools by number in the third tier, the rankings from the Washington monthly place Wittenberg at number 118 amongst liberal arts colleges. This ranking puts Wittenberg behind Denison at 108, Wooster at 98, Ohio Wesleyan at 96 and Oberlin at 18.
So why should students care? As James Monks and Ronald G. Ehrenberg said in their 1999 analysis for the National Bureau of Economic Research, "Our analysis indicates that a less favorable ranking leads an institution to accept a greater percentage of its applicants […] smaller percentage of applicants matriculate, and resulting entering class is of lower quality." Such a disaster could spell big trouble for Wittenberg students and faculty, so why is the level of concern so low on campus?
The truth is that most students aren't even aware of the change. Sophomore Andrew Goldstein said, "Really? I thought we were one of the best. Why do we pay $40,000 a year?" While the tuition is actually closer to $37,000, Goldstein's question is a valid one. Are Wittenberg students paying too much for an education that is less than they were promised? Wittenberg President Mark Erickson says no.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Liz class of '01
posted 1/24/08 @ 10:25 PM EST
I agree! I am a PROUD alum of Wittenberg. I work in Higher Education and so it is even more frustrating when people haven't heard of Witt. I just play it off like "Oh wow!? I'm sorry you haven't heard of it. (Continued…)
anonymous
posted 2/25/08 @ 7:58 PM EST
I actually have to stutter over a similar question, but it is "where did you transfer from?". I currently go to Ohio State University, but last year I attended Wittenberg and it was the wrong choice for me. (Continued…)
Stuart Smith
posted 3/08/08 @ 9:13 AM EST
When my wife and I attended in the 1970s, there was a strong link with the Lutheran Ohio Synod. That was a natural feeder - the youth group trip to see the place. (Continued…)
Class of '03
posted 6/17/08 @ 2:20 AM EST
I am pretty pleased with Witt's quirky reputation and alumni. I am in graduate school now, working on my doctorate and the students and faculty I meet who've heard of Witt always have a positive opinion of it. (Continued…)
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