UW Gazette, November 19, 1997
    
    Fourth, behind Simon Fraser, Guelph and Victoria. That's
where Waterloo stands among Canada's "comprehensive"
universities, according to the annual Maclean's magazine
rankings, published Monday.
    But in reputation among the people who know the
business, UW is the "best overall" university in the country
once again, Maclean's also said.
    "I'm delighted that for the fifth year in a row the
University of Waterloo is ranked by opinion leaders across
the country to be the best overall university in Canada,"
said a statement from UW president Dr. James Downey. "That I
take is a judgment on the output of the institution
particularly on its graduates, whereas the rankings are
based on input indicators," he added.
    "Reputation mainly rests on the judgment that 3,500
informed people are making about the quality of the
education provided by the institution as demonstrated mainly
by its graduates and its research," Downey said.
    "We're mindful and appreciative of the compliment and
the vote of confidence that are implicit in that reputation
ranking and we'll continue to do all in our power to be
worthy of it."
    The magazine divides universities into three groups and
classifies UW in the "comprehensive" category - full-service
universities without medical schools. Simon Fraser
University in Burnaby, British Columbia, comes first in the
numerical rankings for the second year in a row; UW drops
from second to fourth, changing places with Guelph. York was
rated fifth.
    Among the factors that dropped UW from second last year
to fourth this year is the calculation of "student services
(percentage of budget)". Waterloo was fourth on that crite
rion last year, among 11 institutions, and this year is 11th
out of 13. (The total number is up because more universities
across the country decided to cooperate with the magazine's
survey; for a few years most of the French-language
universities weren't involved.)
    The reason UW is suddenly 11th in that column, according
to Bob Truman, director of institutional analysis and
planning, is that Maclean's has decided UW can't count the
$4 million budget of the co-op department as a "student
service".
    UW did rank high in average entering grades, with a
figure of 84 per cent reported - ahead of all other
"comprehensive" universities, although still behind Queen's,
McGill, British Columbia and Mount Allison. UW was also
first among comprehensive universities in the perecentage of
students who win national awards.
    The separate "reputational" survey, measuring what 3,500
business leaders, counsellors, and people in other
universities think, puts Waterloo solidly in the lead as it
has been for the past several years.
    Among "comprehensive" universities, UW was ranked first
in all categories - "quality", "innovative", "leaders of
tomorrow", and "overall"- as it has been every year since
Maclean's began its present rating system in 1992.
    And among all the universities, Waterloo was "best
overall" again this year as it was in
    1994, 1995 and 1996. In the three subcategories, it was
again UW first for "most innovative" and "leaders of
tomorrow", and Queen's first, Waterloo fourth, for "highest
quality".
    Besides "comprehensive" institutions, the magazine ranks
"medical-doctoral" universities and "primarily
undergraduate" institutions. In both groups, the rankings
looked pretty much the same as last year: Toronto, Queen's
and McGill first, second and third in "medical-doctoral",
and Mount Allison, Acadia and Trent first, second and third
in "primarily undergraduate".
    And in addition to the rankings, the November 24 issue
of Maclean's  has some 15 pages of general articles about
university issues, including student costs ("an immense
financial burden is falling onto the shoulders of students
and their parents"), cheating, and sports scholarships.
    The lead article uses the title "Academic Inc." and
reports that "Scrambling to make ends meet, universities are
turning themselves into sleek new profit machines.É A
university system once generously funded by the public purse
is now a system in crisis."
    It quotes UW's president about the brain drain of young
scholars and "a crumbling research infrastructure". Says
Maclean's: "Downey has been quietly conferring with local
industries that need the research expertise - and graduates
- Waterloo can provide. 'Somebody has to be concerned with
the quality of our product and our institution,' says
Downey. 'If governments are not going to fund us adequately,
we have no choice but to look outward.'"
    He also speaks in favour of individual universities
being allowed to set their own fees and make more of their
own decisions: "Competition would encourage all of us to
play to our strengths and think twice about our weaknesses."