By Kennedy Thomas
Web Editor

Time magazine has ranked California State University, Bakersfield at no. 47 out of more than 2,500 universities – for bachelor and graduate degree programs – using metrics based on a proposed White House method for ranking schools.

The list, originally published on Time’s website on April 23, evenly distributes the values of graduation rates, percentage of Pell grant recipients, and overall affordability of attendance based on tuition costs and “the weighted average net cost for students.”

Time’s methodology for the rankings is similar to what was proposed by President Obama in August of 2013, in “The President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class,” although Time’s article states that the metrics have been simplified.

The California State University website published a press release on May 5 promoting Time’s rankings and stating that CSUB, along with seven other CSU campuses, were listed as being “among the top ranking universities.”

CSUB President Horace Mitchell followed suit with a campus-wide email that stated CSUB ranked no. 39 on Time’s list.

Since that time, Time’s listing has grown with the addition of more schools, bumping CSUB down eight places.

California State University Director of Public Affairs Michael Uhlenkamp believes that the CSU system’s performance on the list demonstrates its value to students.

“I think that it does reflect positively, obviously, on the CSU campuses,” he said. “It’s something that goes back to the CSU mission of access, affordability, quality, and completion. It shows that CSU campuses are doing well in those areas, so it really does reflect our mission.”

Although Time’s article evenly distributes the values used to rank the schools at 33 percent each, a web application allows visitors to adjust sliders to personalize their own rankings based on what they may be looking for in a university.

Focusing on affordability – with a 98 percent focus – the application lists CSUB at no. 26 out of all the schools ranked. Adjusting the slider to focus 98 percent on the percentage of Pell grant recipients lists CSUB at no.110.

CSUB’s performance takes a hit when moving the slider to a 98 percent focus on graduation rates, dropping to 1,005.

Uhlenkamp specified that the CSU system as a whole is working on improving its graduation rates, with “a host of initiatives that are aimed at completion” in the pipeline.

If the White House does institute its own ranking system with similar metrics in the future, Uhlenkamp is confident that CSU campuses will maintain healthy positions on the list.

“The things they’re looking at are things that are part of the CSU mission,” he said. “We’re always trying to reach those goals.”

Uhlenkamp said that the CSU representatives are currently “advocating for more funding to allow for more access,” and planning to hire new full-time faculty members to “bolster the quality of programs” across the campuses.

Although he remains optimistic about the CSU system and its potential place on future university rankings, Uhlenkamp doesn’t find listings like Time’s to be a definitive measurement of a school’s merit.

“Any time there are rankings, you need to take it with a grain of salt,” he said.