Emphasis not on tiers
Boschini’s focus won’t be on TCU’s ranking
By Jacque Nguyen
Staff Reporter

When he first assumed presidency at Illinois State University in 1999, chancellor-designate Victor Boschini Jr. said bringing ISU to a loftier standing in the college-ranking guides was one of his early goals.

But at TCU, he says it will not be.

“It was a huge concern and goal of mine (for ISU) as well as a lot of other people for better standings in ranking in order to serve the students and faculty better,” Boschini said. “I wouldn’t say making TCU a first-tier school is one of my specific goals, but it’s always a goal to do better and TCU is too good not to be any better.

“But it’s harder to jump a tier every year because you’re competing with schools at higher levels.”

According to the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of America’s Best Colleges in 2002, ISU took a step from Tier IV to a more prestigious Tier III school. TCU is currently a Tier II school.

Chancellor Michael Ferrari agrees that jumping tiers is difficult.

“This is difficult (for TCU) since all the institutions in Tier I are major research universities with much higher concentrations of graduate students than we have at TCU,” Ferrari said.

Larry Morlan, assistant vice president of University Advancement at ISU, said Boschini contributed to this upgrade.

“He has enabled us to focus on what we are and what our accomplishments are,” Morlan said. “Dr. Boschini early on indicated that ISU belonged in a higher tier.”

Richard Dammers, Boschini’s assistant at ISU, said ISU’s jump from Tier IV to Tier III was primarily because of Boschini’s leadership.

“It was an academic community effort, but we needed a leader who could inspire, energize and give confidence to the university,” Dammers said. “(Boschini’s) goal was to help ISU be as excellent as its potential. This is President Boschini’s legacy.”

Boschini said some of the factors that helped in the upgrade was increasing the admission standards, having more alumni participation in donor programs and decreasing average class sizes from 50 to 30 students.

According the U.S. News and World Report, the ranking formula gives greatest weight to the opinion of those in a position to judge a school’s academic excellence or peer assessment.

Ferrari said the key variable for TCU to move higher in tiers is academic reputation.

“Many of our programs are gaining steadily in regional and national prominence,” Ferrari said. “With our new academic facilities, very strong faculty and a revised core curriculum, TCU will continue to move upward in academic reputation.”

Boschini said his main focus for ISU was the reputation component.

“It was an effort to get the name (of ISU) out,” Boschini said. “We already knew we were doing great things, but it was important for the public to know it.”

Dammers said the rank of the university reflects ISU’s accomplishments.

“It is a reflection of ourselves,” Dammers said. “It’s nice to have that external validation, that external recognition through an enhanced reputation.”

Former ISU Provost Al Bowman agreed that the university’s reputation contributed to the jump but added that it was also due to the freshman retention rate and “Educating Illinois,” the university’s action plan for distinctiveness and excellence.

“Clearly, it was Illinois State’s rising academic reputation and our freshman retention rates that had the biggest influence in our jump to Tier III,” Bowman said. “The commitment to the values and goals of Educating Illinois from the students, faculty and staff members of Illinois State has blossomed in so many ways, and this is one of the most nationally noticeable and impressive.”

j.f.nguyen@tcu.edu