‘ ‘ ‘ As freshman Katie Capri made her decision on which college to attend, she marginally… ‘ ‘ ‘ As freshman Katie Capri made her decision on which college to attend, she marginally considered that Pitt was ranked 59, and more recently 58, on the U.S. News ‘amp; World Report national college rankings. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Ranking is not the key requisite for choosing a college,’ said Capri, ‘but you don’t want to go to an unknown school.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Her reluctance to rely on rankings reflects the current national controversy surrounding the rankings system and its influence on the college admissions process. ‘ ‘ ‘ More colleges than ever refused to return the survey functioning as the single largest part of the formula used by U.S. News to assemble the annual list of ‘America’s Best Colleges.’ This year, 46 percent of colleges completed the peer survey, in which college presidents rate similar institutions. Nevertheless, it makes up 25 percent of the magazine’s formula and is weighted more heavily than the statistics gathered on such factors as graduation rates, faculty and resources. ‘ ‘ ‘ The all-time low of 46 percent is down from 51 percent last year, 58 percent the year before that and 67 percent a few years prior. The drop this year ‘mdash; to 44 from 55 percent ‘mdash; was most severe for liberal arts colleges, the sector from which much of the ratings’ opposition is generated. ‘ ‘ ‘ Robert Morse, the director of data research for U.S. News, said that the participation rate in the national university category, which includes Pitt, has hardly fallen, from 63 percent in 2007 to 56 percent this year. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘A 56 percent response rate is still considered high for a survey conducted by mail,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Morse cited ‘survey fatigue’ and campus concerns, such as the Higher Education Act, which has instituted more stringent guidelines for the student loan industry, as factors affecting the plummet in participation. ‘ ‘ ‘ On the other hand, Lloyd Thacker, founder of the Education Conservancy, is ‘pleased’ to see fewer colleges participating in the magazine’s rankings. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Education Conservancy is a self-described non-profit founded in 2004 and committed to improving the college admissions process for students, the group’s Web site says. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Rankings have created a crisis by undermining educational value and distorting the way education is perceived and pursued,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ So far, 67 colleges have signed a letter circulated by the Education Conservancy vowing not to complete the peer survey.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Since 2005, Yale University, ranked third by U.S. News, has not participated in the peer survey, although it would not rule out partaking in it in the future. . In the past few years, however, Yale has publicly aligned itself with the anti-rankings movement led by the Education Conservancy. ‘ ‘ ‘ Last September, Yale hosted a conference sponsored by the nonprofit organization to encourage leaders in higher education to discuss alternatives to the rankings system. The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor donated $300,000 to make a new system. Likewise, Yale and two other colleges contributed $150,000 to build ‘something better’ ‘ ‘ That new development is a Web site for students, their parents and advisers. The interactive site, which will be unveiled as a prototype on Sept. 25, will match prospective students and colleges and provide a forum for prospective students to communicate with current students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘There is a hunger for educational authenticity, and there is willingness among colleges [to provide it],’ said Thacker. ‘We aim to match need with willingness.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ According to spokesman John Fedele, Pitt is committed to continuing to improve its quality ‘mdash; not only by U.S. News standards ‘mdash; but also in all areas contributing to provide students with the highest quality education. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt maintained its ranking of 20 among national public universities on this year’s list. ‘ ‘ ‘ Fedele added that from last year to this year, Pitt made improvements in freshmen retention and graduation rates and percentage of incoming freshmen who were in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes ‘mdash; from 43 to 48 percent. Also, the mid-50 percent SAT range rose 20 points, from 1130-1320 to 1150-1340. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It must be emphasized that the methodology U.S. News utilizes, which is heavily financial, skews the rankings toward the expensive, private institutions,’ wrote Fedele in an e-mail. ‘To be 20 among public universities is a very significant accomplishment, one that the University has worked hard to achieve.’