Is the value of SU education declining?

     Syracuse University, greatly known for its diversity and academic reputation, apparently seems to be slowly declining in terms of academics. Once ranked in the high 40s among national universities in the late 1990s by U.S. News and World Report, Syracuse University is now ranked number 62 [Fall 2011]. Furthermore, the university dropped out from the Association of American Universities (AAU), a nonprofit organization of 61 leading research universities in the United States and Canada, this year knowing that it was going to be forced out. So, why has Syracuse University fallen in ranking in both the U.S. News and World Report and the AAU?

     Two main factors contribute to the university's downfall; they are the lack of money towards academics and the slight transition from being selective to inclusive. Ever since Nancy Cantor, chancellor of Syracuse University, took over in 2004, the school has been spending tens of millions of U.S. dollars to revitalize the city. Nancy Cantor supports her actions by saying that "the university cannot isolate itself up on the hill, disengaged from the city, as it has so often in the past." She also claims that everything done by the university in the city has an academic component. She says that people "should have an impact on our democracy and do work that addresses pressing issues in the world" and adds that "It's not that you stop caring about the fundamentals or quality, you redefine what constitutes quality and exciting scholarly work."

     Jeffrey Stonecash, who is a professor of political science in the university, wonders whether tuition money is mainly being used for the university's expanding ventures with the city instead of academics. According to Stonecash, the amount of money used for administrative costs has grown at a faster rate than money used for academics. From the 2007-2011 academic years, administrative costs have increased by 22.3 million. Meanwhile, costs for academics have only increased by 5.7 million. Don't parents send their children to college for their education?

     According to some professors, Syracuse University was on the way to becoming a more selective university before Nancy Cantor came. Currently compared to SUNY colleges such as Binghamton University and Stony Brook, Syracuse University has a lower criteria for admission as well as students who have a lower average SAT score. With the high tuition costs of attending Syracuse University, is it even worth it? The tuition costs of Binghamton University and Stony Brook University not only costs about $20,000 less than Syracuse, but also have a higher criteria. Although their rankings are lower than that of Syracuse, they have greater potential to increase their rankings mainly because they spend more on academics such as on research studies.

     Although it's great to revitalize the city, the education being given at Syracuse University is more important. Aside from rankings by the U.S. News and World Report, the education received by thousands of students at Syracuse University is not the best it could be. The students who attend Syracuse University might not be as prepared for the workforce compared to someone who graduated from Binghamton or Stony Brook University. Helping out the city of Syracuse could be a side project, but academics come first. When it comes to one's resume and skills, it all comes down to college or university attended but most importantly, one's skills. After all, we do go to college for our education. As Scott Collison says, "The important questions lie in how we define SU and what the value of an education here is".

-Angela Tong