The national ranking for the University of Hawaii-Manoa in the U.S. News & World Report's 2003 "America's Best Colleges" remains the same as last year: in the third of four tiers of universities that offer doctoral degrees. UH is status quo in
national rankingsThe U.S. News & World Report
puts UH in the third of 4 tiersBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com"The University of Hawaii System has an outstanding faculty dedicated to providing every student with an exceptional education," said UH President Evan Dobelle. "However, it is no secret that we are significantly underfunded, and that makes competing with the top institutions nearly impossible. The state of Hawaii is ranked dead last in public support for higher education, and that is reflected in the U.S. News rankings."
It is critical that the state government view the university as a strategic investment in the institution's economic growth and stability, he added.
The magazine released data today that show UH-Manoa is on a unranked list of universities ranging from 130 to 194 out of 250. The edition is expected to be published next week.
For the third consecutive year, Princeton University topped the magazine's list, with Harvard and Yale tied for second place.
In 1996, UH-Manoa was ranked among the top 25 national public universities. The ranking dropped to the third tier in 1999. Though Dobelle said the institution currently has increased enrollment, expanded graduate programs and strengthened curriculum, he blamed the state for taking away "virtually all of our financial resources, thus making it impossible to achieve a top ranking."
Evaluations on the institution's academic quality are based on seven categories: academic reputation, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and graduation rate performance.
The report revealed UH-Manoa ranked 23rd among the 250 listed colleges whose alumni carry the least college debt upon graduation. Based on the data, 50 percent of Manoa students borrow to finance their education.
UH-Hilo was nationally ranked in the fourth tier for the second consecutive year among liberal arts colleges. In 2000, UH-Hilo was ranked regionally as the third-best liberal arts institution in the Western area.
Compared to private institutions that are able to obtain alumni-giving, UH-Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng said the campus needs to stabilize its funding.
Tseng said other indicators such as student enrollment, class size and the university's student retention rate has increased.
"That shows the measurement of quality," said Tseng, adding that the university is obtaining more dormitories to accommodate the rising number of students.
Furthermore, about 90 percent of the college's faculty have a doctoral degree.
The survey also showed Brigham Young University-Hawaii dropped to fifth place among the best comprehensive colleges offering bachelor's degrees in the Western region. Last year, the university was ranked fourth.
Under universities offering a full range of bachelor's and master's programs in the Western region, Hawaii Pacific University moved up to the second tier from the third tier, while Chaminade University jumped to the third tier from the fourth tier.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
University of Hawaii
