Scaling the Ivy?

Reputation, Ranking and Reality

A Dinner and Conversation with Students, Staff, and Faculty
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
5:30-8:00 PM
Coolidge Room, Ballou Hall

On November 15th the Experimental College hosted the 17th Opening Up the Classroom event. Opening Up the Classroom is an annual event that aims to bring together Tufts students and faculty for dinner, conversation and dialogue about a relevant campus issue. The chosen topic this year was “Scaling the Ivy: Rankings, Reputation, and Reality.” Over 45 students and 40 faculty members and administrators gathered to participate in the evening’s events.

Students and faculty enjoyed dinner while exchanging thoughts and personal experiences about college rankings and reputations. Guests discussed the fact that rankings were important in establishing Tufts and its reputation. One student commented, “I come from Wisconsin and many people don’t know about Tufts. I think the rankings are really important in that regard.” Many students and faculty members were pleased that “Tufts’ reputation is in motion,” but they were also wary of efforts for Tufts to become an Ivy imitator.

One faculty member cautioned, “Tufts should be careful about its aspiration to become an ‘Ivy League’ type school. Tufts has special characteristics that distinguish it from Ivy League schools that it should emphasize.” Many tables stressed that Tufts’ emphasis on teaching and undergraduate interaction, as opposed to research, distinguished Tufts from other elite schools. As one student remarked, “Tufts’ faculty want to teach; Ivy League professors are primarily hired to do research. Do we want to aspire to this? Probably not.”

Members of the Tufts community also valued Tufts’ commitment to active citizenship and internationalism, which they considered the “special characteristics that distinguish [Tufts] from Ivy League schools.” Many students and faculty members commented that Opening Up the Classroom raised important questions about what Tufts is and what Tufts should strive to be. Most guests expressed that they appreciated the intrinsic value of an undergraduate education over arbitrary rankings.

During dessert, Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin spoke to the group about the importance of Tufts reputation in relation to the admissions process. Coffin spoke of Tufts rising popularity among top students “which presents a great challenge and a great opportunity" for the admissions office. Overall, the evening was a great success filled with good food, good company, and intriguing conversation.