Spring Break
Magazine says URI beats Ivies for return investments, No. 15 rank
Chris Curtis
Issue date: 6/13/09 Section: News
Weygand cites the recent opening of the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences as an example of the university continuing to grow despite tough financial times.
Weygand attributes the success of URI graduates to the university's focus on experiential learning, as well as to the drive of its students.
"I think a lot of the students who come here to the University of Rhode Island come from a background where they may be going to school, working at the same time. They know what it is that they want to accomplish on the outside, and this university prepares them well for that," Weygand said.
Bobbi Koppel, director of career services, also attributes the ranking largely to the quality of the students.
"One of the things that we hear from employers who come here is that students here at URI are very, very well qualified ... and we have employers who come here year after year after year," Koppel said. "The reason they come is because they have URI alums working at their place of employment and they want more of them."
Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Dougan said he was not surprised to see URI ranked above the Ivies.
"Frankly it's not surprising, we have always believed that students attending the University of Rhode Island get a great education ... as good an education as you get anywhere," Dougan said.
"I've talked to a lot of faculty over time, people who've taught at URI, who've taught at Brown, and they say over and over and over that our students are just as good as the kids at Brown University," he said.
Also unphased by the university's high ranking was sophomore Sarah Morgan.
"I live in-state, so it's a pretty good tuition," Morgan explained. The education would still be a good investment even at the substantially higher out-of-state tuition, she said.
"You need the degree to really get a good job, so I feel like it would still be a good investment."
Out-of-state sophomore Dana Lagravinese said she was surprised to hear that URI had received such a high ranking.
"Yes, I guess because we pay so much for tuition, especially out of state," Lagravinese said, but added that the education is what you make of it.
Shawn Lavallee, an in-state student working toward a master's degree in accounting, also expressed some amazement, but said he felt that he was being prepared well for his future career.
"I wasn't expecting the return on investment to be so high because other schools promise better connections, like Bryant, that's probably the reason why they pay so much to go there," Lavallee said.
Parmar points out in his article that rating colleges is not an exact science, and admits that the study has received criticism from private schools that claim the study underestimated them for various reasons.
First in the ranking was Texas A&M, up from second place following the University of Georgia's admission that it had "inadvertently provided some incorrect information about its tuition."
Weygand attributes the success of URI graduates to the university's focus on experiential learning, as well as to the drive of its students.
"I think a lot of the students who come here to the University of Rhode Island come from a background where they may be going to school, working at the same time. They know what it is that they want to accomplish on the outside, and this university prepares them well for that," Weygand said.
Bobbi Koppel, director of career services, also attributes the ranking largely to the quality of the students.
"One of the things that we hear from employers who come here is that students here at URI are very, very well qualified ... and we have employers who come here year after year after year," Koppel said. "The reason they come is because they have URI alums working at their place of employment and they want more of them."
Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Dougan said he was not surprised to see URI ranked above the Ivies.
"Frankly it's not surprising, we have always believed that students attending the University of Rhode Island get a great education ... as good an education as you get anywhere," Dougan said.
"I've talked to a lot of faculty over time, people who've taught at URI, who've taught at Brown, and they say over and over and over that our students are just as good as the kids at Brown University," he said.
Also unphased by the university's high ranking was sophomore Sarah Morgan.
"I live in-state, so it's a pretty good tuition," Morgan explained. The education would still be a good investment even at the substantially higher out-of-state tuition, she said.
"You need the degree to really get a good job, so I feel like it would still be a good investment."
Out-of-state sophomore Dana Lagravinese said she was surprised to hear that URI had received such a high ranking.
"Yes, I guess because we pay so much for tuition, especially out of state," Lagravinese said, but added that the education is what you make of it.
Shawn Lavallee, an in-state student working toward a master's degree in accounting, also expressed some amazement, but said he felt that he was being prepared well for his future career.
"I wasn't expecting the return on investment to be so high because other schools promise better connections, like Bryant, that's probably the reason why they pay so much to go there," Lavallee said.
Parmar points out in his article that rating colleges is not an exact science, and admits that the study has received criticism from private schools that claim the study underestimated them for various reasons.
First in the ranking was Texas A&M, up from second place following the University of Georgia's admission that it had "inadvertently provided some incorrect information about its tuition."
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