Nationally, the UA could be more competitive
The Traveler Editorial Board
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: Opinion
The University of Arkansas ranked 50th among higher education institutions for the number of National Merit Scholars admitted in the current academic year, according to a Jan. 13, 2009, UA press release.
A measure of academic competitiveness, the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled at a particular university partially reflects the appeal of that university to high school students who have proved themselves as high achievers through an extensive test-taking and application process. That the UA attracted 46 National Merit Scholars this fall speaks to the quality of education offered by the university.
As Chancellor G. David Gearhart said in the press release, "This is a credit to our state's schools and students. It's also evidence that the university is providing the kind of quality education that can keep our best students in Arkansas, while attracting top students from around the country."
But, as Chancellor Gearhart also pointed out, Arkansas produced 128 National Merit Scholars in 2008. That means less than half of Arkansas scholarship recipients opted to attend the state's flagship university last year.
Moreover, in 2005, the UA ranked 47th among colleges and universities for the number of scholars, so 50th represents a slip. Whereas in 2005, the UA was third among public Southeastern Conference schools, the university is now fourth among public SEC schools. We are proud to attend a nationally competitive university, but we would prefer to see our school improve in the rankings.
One state over, the University of Oklahoma attracts not only a large proportion of Oklahoma winners, but also more National Merit Scholars per capita than any other public university in the nation - a fact they tout proudly on their Web site. For the past 18 years, OU has been in the top 20 of all higher education institutions in the U.S. With nearly 600 currently enrolled National Merit Scholars, OU clearly does something right when it comes to recruiting outstanding students.
A measure of academic competitiveness, the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled at a particular university partially reflects the appeal of that university to high school students who have proved themselves as high achievers through an extensive test-taking and application process. That the UA attracted 46 National Merit Scholars this fall speaks to the quality of education offered by the university.
As Chancellor G. David Gearhart said in the press release, "This is a credit to our state's schools and students. It's also evidence that the university is providing the kind of quality education that can keep our best students in Arkansas, while attracting top students from around the country."
But, as Chancellor Gearhart also pointed out, Arkansas produced 128 National Merit Scholars in 2008. That means less than half of Arkansas scholarship recipients opted to attend the state's flagship university last year.
Moreover, in 2005, the UA ranked 47th among colleges and universities for the number of scholars, so 50th represents a slip. Whereas in 2005, the UA was third among public Southeastern Conference schools, the university is now fourth among public SEC schools. We are proud to attend a nationally competitive university, but we would prefer to see our school improve in the rankings.
One state over, the University of Oklahoma attracts not only a large proportion of Oklahoma winners, but also more National Merit Scholars per capita than any other public university in the nation - a fact they tout proudly on their Web site. For the past 18 years, OU has been in the top 20 of all higher education institutions in the U.S. With nearly 600 currently enrolled National Merit Scholars, OU clearly does something right when it comes to recruiting outstanding students.
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