Based on the question "What can colleges do for the country," Washington Monthly is releasing its third annual rankings next month, and guess who comes out on top of all the Ivies. Cornell hits #7 (up from #8 last year), thanks mostly, it seems, to what makes it unique among the Ancient Eight. From Inside Higher Ed: From the magazine: "Our top Ivy? Humble Cornell, which places seventh, thanks to the large number of its graduates who earn Ph.D.’s or join the Peace Corps." It ranks Cornell as 80th in social mobility -- which compares the difference between predicted graduation rates, based on the percentage of Pell recipients and SAT scores, and actual rates -- placing it above the other Ivies in that category. Also noteworthy: Cornell places third out of all national universities in the "bachelor's to Ph.D. rank," which looks at how many bachelor's graduates go on to earn doctorates, and 14th in the total number of Ph.D.'s awarded last year (377).The magazine uses a formula that favors colleges that promote social mobility (as measured, for example, by percentage of Pell Grant recipients), support for the research enterprise (research grants awarded and also percentage of undergraduate alumni who go on to earn Ph.D.’s) and national service (through such measures as ROTC participation and percentage of alumni who enter the Peace Corps).
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