University of Michigan law school says it won't participate in US News rankings
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The University of Michigan says its law school will not be participating in U.S. News & World Report ranking.
According to a letter, Dean Mark West says recent changes in the ranking process "reflect a lack of understanding about how law schools operate," in addition to lack of transparency in U.S. News' methodology and content.
For example, West says the rankings rely heavily on administrators and faculty members to give their opinions about their perception of the reputation of every other law school, which he argues should not guide decision making for potential students.
"This situation presents, at best, inequitable presentation of data and at worst, an unregulated opportunity for manipulation. In addition, if a law school wants to see the full set of aggregate data that others submit, it must pay U.S. News for access," West said in the letter. "The staff time required to prepare our submission also comes at a cost—both financial and of opportunity—that no public institution should shoulder in the service of a revenue-generating third-party endeavor."
U of M follows other top universities, including Yale and Harvard, which also criticized U.S. News' ranking.
Last week, Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken called the rankings "profoundly flawed," saying they "disincentivize programs that support public interest careers, champion need-based aid, and welcome working-class students into the profession."
West applaud Gerken for her decision to withdraw from the ranking.