CAMPUS NEWS: U.S. News whistleblower says ‘no one has taken responsibility’
Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library (Photo/Kavya Jain)
By Kavya Jain
Over a year since the controversy over Columbia University’s undergraduate ranking in U.S. News & World Report 2022 questions remain. There has been no public comment from the University about how the errors happened and what processes have been put in place for the future.
Mathematics Professor Michael Thaddeus, the whistleblower, told The Morningside Post that his formal communication with the administration had been limited to one 40-minute video call scheduled in response to his request for a meeting in April 2022. Calling the conversation generic, he said “[the conversation] didn't address any of the specific matters that I raised. [...] I didn't learn anything substantive from that conversation.”
In March 2022, Professor Thaddeus published an investigation on Columbia’s undergraduate ranking in U.S. News & World Report 2022 on his webpage. The investigation challenged the validity of the data Columbia had submitted.
Almost two months later, in June 2022, Columbia responded by committing to undertake a thorough assessment of its processes and make changes where warranted without explicitly acknowledging the data discrepancies
By September 2022, Columbia acknowledged inconsistencies in data in only two areas. “On two of the metrics questioned by our faculty member, class size and faculty with terminal degrees, we determined we had previously relied on outdated and/or incorrect methodologies. We have changed those methodologies for current and future data submissions, as reflected in the newly posted Common Data Sets,” Columbia wrote in another official statement.
But this statement was insufficient and evasive, Thaddeus said: “The data in their common data set contradicted the data that they reported to U.S. News, not just on the figures that they admitted to, but other ones as well, like the proportion of part-time faculty. I would love to ask, is it true that the proportion of part-time faculty reported to U.S News was not accurate?”
Columbia released their common data sets publicly. However, the University never explained the errors and discrepancies in detail. “Everybody, each part of the university, was responsible for reporting one number to U.S. News. And there were a lot of inaccuracies,” Thaddeus noted.
He reiterated his disappointment in not receiving any details of an investigation or steps taken to remedy the situation. “No one has taken responsibility. No one has been held accountable. You know, it's just been kind of shrugged off and that's very discouraging to me,” Thaddeus said.
Reiterating the lack of transparency around the review, he added, “The [official Columbia University] statement said that there had been some kind of a review of the data, but it didn't say who conducted the review, what issues they looked into.”
The disclosure of the inaccuracy in Columbia’s data scandalized the higher education community and the ripple effects continue today: top law schools and medical schools have since announced their withdrawal from U.S. News & World Report. Portland, Oregon-based liberal arts college, Reed College had long refused to participate. More recently, the New York Times published a DIY, build your own college ranking.
Columbia has refrained from submitting new or revised data to U.S. News & World Report in 2022-23. “In light of the work underway, we will refrain from submitting to U.S. News and World Report this year,” Columbia said in its official statement.
The Morningside Post requested details about whether steps have been taken to strengthen the existing data collection system or change processes to avoid data discrepancies, as well as Columbia's stance on submitting data to U.S. News & World Report this year. In response, the Director of Media Relations for Columbia University directed us to the common data sets.
Kavya Jain (MPA ‘24) is a Contributing Editor at The Morningside Post.