At
      Issue:
      Education.
      .
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Maclean’s
      university
     
     
      issue:
      My
      opinion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘**Ratings’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      this
      September
      had
      been
      any
      indication
     
    

    
     
      of
      its
      quality,
      the
      Maclean’s
      *‘A
      Meas-
     
     
      ure
      of
      Excellence’’
      issue
      on
      universities
      would
     
     
      have
      been
      a
      tool
      no
      self-respecting
      student
      or
     
     
      educator
      could
      be
      without.
      Flyers
      around
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      stated
      ‘*You
      will
      want
      this
      indespensible
     
     
      issue!”’
      and
      promised
      to
      reveal
      ‘‘
      How
      Canada’s
     
     
      education
      system
      affects
      your
      future!’’
      I
      think
     
     
      it’s
      very
      safe
      to
      say
      that
      Maclean’s
      recognizes
     
     
      that
      this
      issue
      sells
      a
      lot
      of
      copies.
     
    

    
     
      The
      third
      annual
      Maclean’s
      ranking
      of
      Ca-
     
     
      nadian
      universities
      claims
      to
      be
      more
      than
      it
     
     
      actually
      is.
      The
      survey
      is
      in
      fact
      a
      tabulation
      of
     
     
      universities’
      scores
      in
      a
      number
      of
      categories.
     
     
      Universities
      are
      also
      divided
      into
      three
      types,
     
     
      U.P.E.I.
      being
      placed,
      of
      course,
      with
      other
     
     
      primarily
      undergraduate
      institutions.
     
    

    
     
      The
      survey
      itself
      presupposes
      that
      a
      combi-
     
     
      nation
      of
      attributes
      can
      be
      ‘‘rated.’’
      Maclean's,
     
     
      in
      its
      wisdom,
      has
      decreed
      that
      the
      combined
     
     
      scores
      for
      these
      attributes
      determines
      the
      value
     
     
      ofan
      education
      obtained
      at
      that
      institution.
      This
     
     
      is
      a
      leap
      of
      logic
      and
      faith
      that
      I’m
      not
      prepared
     
     
      to
      make.
     
    

    
     
      The
      categories
      are
      best
      explained
      by
      looking
     
     
      at
      how
      U.P.E.I.
      fared
      on
      each.
      Scores
      are
      out
      of
     
     
      the
      23
      universities
      rated.
      On
      the
      first
      series
      of
     
     
      questions,
      ‘‘Student
      Body,”’
      U.P.E.I.
      rated
      14th
     
     
      on
      average
      entering
      grade,
      13th
      on
      students
     
     
      entering
      with
      75%
      or
      higher
      averages,
      4th
      on
     
     
      the
      percentage
      of
      students
      who
      graduate,
      6th
      on
     
     
      the
      number
      of
      first-year
      students
      from
      out
      of
     
     
      province,
      and
      seventh
      in
      terms
      of
      student
      awards.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      category
      ‘‘Classes’’
      we
      were
      tied
      for
     
     
      15th
      on
      median
      first
      year
      class
      size,
      17th
      on
     
     
      class
      sizes
      first
      and
      second
      years,
      and
      14th
      for
     
     
      third
      and
      forth
      years.
      U.P.E.I.
      also
      placed
      11th
     
     
      in
      terms
      of
      faculty
      who
      are
      tenured.
     
    

    
     
      Under
      ‘‘Faculty,”’
      we
      placed
      16th
      in
      number
     
     
      of
      faculty
      with
      PhDs,
      tied
      for
      11th
      in
      terms
      of
     
     
      full-time
      faculty
      receiving
      awards,
      and
      were
     
     
      20th
      for
      both
      humanities
      and
      science
      grants.
     
    

    
     
      U.P.E.I.
      came
      in
      far
      better
      in
      terms
      of
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      finances,
      ranking
      second
      for
      operating
     
     
      budget,
      eleventh
      in
      terms
      of
      scholarships
      and
     
     
      bursaries
      as
      a
      percentage
      of
      total
      budget,
      and
     
     
      16th
      in
      terms
      of
      the
      percentage
      of
      budget
      allo-
     
     
      Cated
      to
      student
      services.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Robertson
      library
      rated
      sixth
      in
      terms
      of
     
     
      holdings
      per
      student,
      fourth
      in
      t-rms
      of
      library
     
     
      acquisitions,
      and
      16th
      on
      ‘‘expenses.”’
      Finally,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      f
      the
      advance
      advertising
      on
      campus
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      seventeenth
      yet
      again
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      U.P.E.I.
      alumni
      support
      warranted
      a
      10th
      place
     
     
      rating
      and
      our
      reputation
      with
      other
      universities
     
     
      warranted
      a
      21st
      place
      rating.
     
    

    
     
      The
      single
      most
      important
      question
      to
      be
     
     
      asked
      in
      response
      to
      these
      ratings
      is
      simply
     
     
      ‘“but
      what
      doesall
      this
      reallymean?’’
      Maclean's
     
     
      would
      have
      us
      believe
      that
      these
      ratings
      mean
     
     
      that
      U.P.E.I.
      deserves
      to
      be
      rated
      17th
      among
     
     
      primarily
      undergraduate
      Canadian
      universities.
     
     
      I
      believe
      that
      it
      all
      actually
      means
      less
      than
      that.
     
     
      The
      flaws
      in
      the
      evaluation
      criteria
      remove
     
     
      most
      of
      the
      value
      of
      the
      survey.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "I’m
      willing
      to
      accept
     
     
      that
      it
      might
      be
     
     
      possible
      that
      U.PE.I.
     
     
      might
      place
      17th
      on
      a
     
     
      more
      comprehensive
     
     
      rating
      of
      educational
     
     
      quality..."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      of
      the
      categories
      U.P.E.I.
      was
      evalu-
     
     
      ated
      in
      simply
      ignore
      the
      fact
      that
      this
      is
      prima-
     
     
      rily
      a
      teaching
      institution.
      Teaching
      is
      the
      focus
     
     
      here,
      not
      research.
      Instead
      of
      that
      aim
      being
     
     
      rewarded,
      U.P.E.I.
      is
      penalized
      for
      not
      winning
     
     
      as
      many
      research
      grants
      as
      other
      institutions.
     
     
      The
      idea
      of
      being
      evaluated
      for
      the
      numbers
      of
     
     
      faculty
      who
      are
      tenured
      and
      being
      penalized
      for
     
     
      those
      who
      do
      not
      have
      PhDs
      ignores
      the
      value
      of
     
     
      fresh
      perspectives
      that
      newer
      faculty
      can
      bring
     
     
      to
      a
      discipline
      and
      the
      value
      of
      faculty
     
     
      (particulary
      in
      the
      humanities)
      who
      do
      not
      have
     
     
      Phds
      but
      have
      considerable
      academic
      and
      com-
     
     
      munity
      standing
      and
      renown
      for
      their
      work.
     
    

    
     
      The
      fact
      that
      the
      sum
      of
      the
      survey’s
      parts
      do
     
     
      not
      equal
      its
      supposed
      whole
      is
      also
      demon-
     
     
      strated
      by
      looking
      at
      the
      *‘top’’
      undergraduate
     
     
      university,
      Mount
      Allison.
      Mount
      Allison
      Uni-
     
     
      versity
      is
      a
      fine
      institution
      and
      I
      have
      no
      desire
     
     
      to
      say
      anything
      against
      it.
      It
      is
      important,
     
     
      however,
      to
      remember
      that
      a
      university
      that
      has
     
     
      $2,890
      tuition
      (the
      second
      highest
      in
      Canada)
     
     
      and
      no
      security
      department
      (in
      a
      university
      with
     
     
      a
      large
      residence
      population
      --
      it
      was
      eliminated
     
     
      recently
      as
      a
      cost
      cutting
      measure)
      was
      rated
      as
     
     
      the
      best
      of
      its
      kind
      in
      Canada.
      Mount
      Allison
     
     
      has
      also
      suffered
      through
      a
      debilitating
      faculty
     
     
      strike
      a
      year
      and
      a
      halfago
      and
      has
      had
      problems
     
     
      with
      the
      university’s
      debt
      load.
      None
      of
      these
     
     
      facts
      affected
      its
      Maclean's
      scores,
      yet
      they
      do
     
     
      affect
      the
      overall
      quality
      of
      education
      that
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      receive,
      |
      maintain.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Maclean's
      survey
      is
      a
      useful
      tool
      when
     
     
      used
      to
      examine
      the
      quantitative
      factors
      it
      re-
     
     
      ports,
      but
      it
      does
      not
      adequately
      access
      the
     
     
      qualitative
      factors
      that
      contribute
      to
      the
      value
      of
     
     
      an
      education
      from
      a
      particular
      institution.
      I’m
     
     
      willing
      to
      accept
      that
      it
      might
      be
      possible
      that
     
     
      U.P.E.I.
      might
      place
      17th
      on
      a
      more
      compre-
     
     
      hensive
      rating
      of
      educational
      quality,
      but
      I
     
     
      really
      don’t
      think
      that
      it’s
      possible
      to
      measure
     
     
      that
      sort
      of
      quality
      in
      the
      way
      that
      Maclean’s
     
     
      does.
      That
      sort
      of
      value
      is
      far
      more
      complicated
     
     
      than
      a
      series
      of
      rankings
      assigned
      by
      editors
      for
     
     
      whom
      selling
      magazines
      must
      always
      be
      a
      high
     
     
      priority.
      ‘‘A
      Measure
      of
      Excellence’’
      measures
     
     
      the
      factors
      it
      sets
      out
      to,
      but
      I
      remain
      convinced
     
     
      that
      the
      overall
      results
      should
      not
      be
      taken
      as
     
     
      seriously
      as
      Maclean’s
      would
      want
      us
      to
      take
     
     
      them.
     
    

    
     
      BRUCE
      DAVISON
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      18,
      1993/X-Press/5