Published Wednesday, Aug. 23, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Kristina Torres — Staff
Not to be outdone by headline-hoggers such as The Princeton Review — which publishes popular college rankings spanning the best party schools to colleges with the most “Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging, clove-smoking vegetarians” — a Boston-based expert released his own list Tuesday that pegged two of Georgia’s own as, drum roll please, “Saviors of Our Cities.”
How’s that for a recruiting line?
Atlanta’s Emory University and Mercer University in Macon are two of 25 urban institutions picked by Evan Dobelle, president of the New England Board of Higher Education, for having a major impact on the economic and social health of local communities.
Dobelle relies on indicators such as community initiatives, research, payroll and student enrollment, although he admits to some subjectivity in trying to measure the impact of so-called town-gown relations.
So be it for a four-time college president, which Dobelle is. It’s the season for college rankings, and “you can do a lot worse than this,” said Emory President Jim Wagner, whose institution is known nationally for its professional schools and liberal arts college. “If Emory is going to have international impact, we’re only going to do that well if we sink our roots deeply where we are.”
