>Harvard Grad Schools Top U.S. News Survey

The rankings are in, and Harvard has passed with flying colors. Today, U.S. News and World Report released its annual "Guide to America's Best Grad Schools," which includes Harvard in its assessments of graduate programs in business, medical, law, education and public affairs.

Harvard retained its top position among medical schools and shared the number one business rating with Stanford. In the 1997 rankings, the Harvard Business School came in second, with Stanford ranked first.

Harvard's public affairs program at the Kennedy School of Government is ranked second behind Syracuse. The Graduate School of Education ranks third after Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, which tied for first place. In last year's rankings, Harvard came in fourth in education schools, behind Columbia, Stanford and Berkeley.

Yale University's law school outranks Harvard and Stanford, which are both rated second. In 1997, Yale came in first and Harvard second, with Stanford as the third-place law school.

Wednesday, however, a group of angry law school deans held a press conference to announce the publication of a pamphlet entitled "Law School Rankings May Be Hazardous to Your Health," which attacks the methodology behind the ratings.

Robert C. Clark, Dean of the Law School, did not join the 164 law school deans who signed the pamphlet.

"I don't think law school deans as a group ought to set the terms of evaluations," Clark said in a statement to The New York Times.

"It smacks of trade unionism," he said.

Despite Clark's unwillingness to sign the pamphlet, Michael J. Chmura, a spokesperson for the Law School, expressed disappointment with Harvard's evaluation.

"We just don't feel the survey adequately reflects the Law School," Chmura said.

Chmura said he suspects the criteria used by U.S. News do not take adequate account of the "economy of scale" advantage of Harvard's very large program.

"The depth and breadth of our program, and the amount of offerings that we offer our students is neglected [in the guide]," he said.

The addition of public affairs rankings this year has also attracted skepticism among administrators. affairs rankings given their novelty.

"It shows a lack of experience that therankings don't include the names of the programs.For instance, the name Wharton accompanies theUniversity of Pennsylvania in the business list,"Huppe said.

He suggested that on future lists, the titleKennedy School of Government might appear underthe public affairs heading.

"We'll see how that changes in subsequentyears," Huppe said.

Overall, Huppe stressed that while the rankingsare "something to be concerned with," they do not"drive any decision-making at the University."

Huppe said the U.S. News guide primarily servesconsumers--graduate school applicants--and is notof particular interest to the schools themselves.

On the usefulness of the rankings toprospective students, a spokesperson for HarvardBusiness School had a word of caution.

"They still have to do their homework tounderstand what the best environment is for them,"said Jim '68.

Because students do give credence to therankings, however, Huppe said his office hasoffered advice to the U.S. News evaluators.

"They have been responsive to our suggestionsfor improving their methodology and theiroutcomes," Huppe said.

But Huppe also said he is resigned to a degreeof "silliness about the business."

If the ratings provided truly accuratereflections, he said, "there'd by less variationfrom year to year."

The consequence, according to Huppe, "would bethat U.S. News wouldn't sell as many magazines.

"It shows a lack of experience that therankings don't include the names of the programs.For instance, the name Wharton accompanies theUniversity of Pennsylvania in the business list,"Huppe said.

He suggested that on future lists, the titleKennedy School of Government might appear underthe public affairs heading.

"We'll see how that changes in subsequentyears," Huppe said.

Overall, Huppe stressed that while the rankingsare "something to be concerned with," they do not"drive any decision-making at the University."

Huppe said the U.S. News guide primarily servesconsumers--graduate school applicants--and is notof particular interest to the schools themselves.

On the usefulness of the rankings toprospective students, a spokesperson for HarvardBusiness School had a word of caution.

"They still have to do their homework tounderstand what the best environment is for them,"said Jim '68.

Because students do give credence to therankings, however, Huppe said his office hasoffered advice to the U.S. News evaluators.

"They have been responsive to our suggestionsfor improving their methodology and theiroutcomes," Huppe said.

But Huppe also said he is resigned to a degreeof "silliness about the business."

If the ratings provided truly accuratereflections, he said, "there'd by less variationfrom year to year."

The consequence, according to Huppe, "would bethat U.S. News wouldn't sell as many magazines.