SRU scores national Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranking

Photos by Benton Palermo, a senior communication: digital media major from Beaver.

Sept. 27, 2017

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University has earned a spot among the best national colleges and universities according to the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings 2018. The WSJ/THE rankings include a total of 1,054 institutions nationwide.

SRU ranked 608 out of 1054 institutions evaluated nationally.

Developed in partnership with U.S. experts and universities, the rankings adopt a balanced scorecard approach. WSJ/THE uses 15 individual performance metrics, grouped into four pillars representing:

Resources (30 percent)
Does the college have the capacity to effectively deliver teaching?

Within this pillar is:
-Finance per student
-Faculty per student
-Research papers per faculty

Engagement (20 percent)
Does the college effectively engage with its students? Most of the data in this area is gathered through THE's student survey.

Within this pillar is:
-Student engagement
-Student recommendation
-Interaction with teachers and students
-Number of accredited programs

Outcomes (40 percent)
Does the college generate good and appropriate outputs? Does it add value to the students who attend?

Within this pillar is:
-Graduation rate
-Value added to graduate salary
-Value added to the loan default
-Academic reputation

Environment (10 percent)
Is the college providing a learning environment for all students? Does it make efforts to attract a diverse student body and faculty?

Within this pillar is:
-Proportion of international students
-Student diversity
-Student inclusion
-Staff diversity

THE's student survey captured key milestones in a student's educational journey with their institution, covering motivation, engagement with learning, career impact and satisfaction and value. The 2017 instrument contained 12 core questions, framed by demographic questions to capture the students' background and degree status.

"The WSJ/THE College Rankings have received critical acclaim for its pioneering new approach to ranking U.S. colleges and universities that put student success and learning at its heart and avoids the failed strategy of simply rewarding the selection of wealthy students," said Phil Baty, editorial director of global rankings for Times Higher Education.

"The partnership between The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education brings together two powerhouses - the preeminent source of global business and financial news, alongside a global higher education data and analysis business that started reporting on global higher education almost five decades ago. These rankings will provide students and institutions with access to a comprehensive list of over 1,000 institutions evaluated on their educational impact and the lifetime benefit to students."

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robert.king@sru.edu