August 30, 2006 Source: :
http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/pac/newsrel.nsf/f8e26b1a592c9edb8525676a0048614a/d4f5155d6cf69e5b852571da0055ad4e!OpenDocument University of Windsor Withdraws from Maclean's (WINDSOR, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2006) – After extensive consideration and evaluation, the University of Windsor today informed Maclean’s Magazine that it will withdraw from its annual ranking survey of Canadian universities. "The University of Windsor will remain true to its stated missions and goals," said President Ross Paul. "We are committed to public accountability and will continue to participate in such surveys as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium (CUSC), which we believe are more accurate and realistic measures of performance." Dr. Paul said the University had a number of concerns over the years regarding the methodology used by Maclean’s, and the withdrawal of more than a dozen other universities will serve to further erode the survey’s credibility. In a letter to Tony Keller, the magazine’s Managing Editor of Special Projects, Paul said:
"Notwithstanding the contributions the annual survey has made to raise the profile of Canadian universities, some of its key components have given university researchers significant cause for concern. It has been my long-standing belief that Maclean’s reliance on inputs over outputs, a heavily weighted reputational survey with extremely low participation rates and, especially, the aggregation of data from a range of differently weighted variables that may or may not reflect the mission, mandate and priorities of a particular university can lead to quite misleading perceptions about an institution. From the outset of the Maclean’s university survey, I annually urged your predecessor, without success, to consider a "five star" rating scheme for each variable – a method used by the Australian Good Universities Guide. The latter is a much more useful and informative guide to students than the more dramatic but potentially misleading aggregate "league table" approach which applies one model of university to all the diverse institutions in the survey." Dr. Paul has said that for the University of Windsor to continue to provide information tailored to Maclean’s specifications is not a good use of the University’s limited resources. "Our Board of Governors has passed a motion to request both the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, to take the necessary steps to design a provincial accountability framework for universities. This will enable students and their parents to have access to independently assembled, user-friendly data on all Ontario universities." In addition, he said the University of Windsor has created www.uwindsor.ca/performance, a website dedicated to reporting on the university’s overall performance. The site carries a link to the University’s strategic plan, To Greater Heights, identifies a series of key performance indicators and includes the results of the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium and the National Survey of Student Engagement. "We welcome any and all evaluations of our university that are based on quality data collection and solid methodology and we will remain committed to a spirit of transparency and public accountability," Paul said. - 30 - The full text of Dr. Paul’s letter to Maclean’s is available on the university's Web site. CONTACT:
Lori Koutros
Manager, News Services
University of Windsor
(519) 973-7001
Cell: (519) 564-9908
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