COLLEGES, RATED.

The Heritage Foundation have released rankings, attempting in their compilation to pursue several objectives.

Universities should promote freedom, opportunity, and upward mobility, fostering free expression and open academic inquiry. They should be intellectually rigorous and provide students with a solid return on investment. American colleges and universities should reclaim their place as the most renowned academic institutions in the world. This site highlights colleges and universities that exemplify these goals along with those institutions that need to reorient themselves toward academic excellence, free expression, and ideological balance.

I'm not sure what "return on investment" refers to: is that starting salaries or being able to confidently respond when someone else is talking rot?  So I have long maintained.

I'm quite clear on what the role of a university ought to be.  "Universities best serve their students through rigorous development of reasoning skills and respect for what we have learned."  That's based on Richard "Underground Grammarian" Mitchell.  "And that’s what a university is, if it is a university, and not a jumped-up trade school, or a conditioning station for docile citizens, or a pulpit of ideology. It is a place devoted to the study and preservation and nurture of whatever human wisdom can be found that pertains to everybody who lives, or has lived, or ever will live, on Earth."

Of late, though, the spineless careerists in charge of higher education have behaved as if they most feared the professional protest communities in their midst.  Little did I recognize, when I wrote, only a month ago, that donors could close their checkbooks, how quickly that would become a preference cascade.  "The cynic in me wonders, particularly those who hold legitimate alternative views and write large checks to Harvard Med or the local university foundation?"

Speaking of spineless careerists, note the criteria by which a university earns a yellow, "approach with caution" rating.

These universities and colleges represent a strong choice for families prioritizing freedom, opportunity, civil society, and opportunity. Although these institutions on the whole may not be as strong of a choice for conservative students as Great Option schools, these institutions are distinguished by their robust programs and centers that foster rigorous academic study, the pursuit of truth, and a shared commitment to preparing students for informed citizenship in a free society. These include programs designated by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni as “Hidden Gems” or “Oases of Excellence,” or are home to a Jack Miller Center Partner Program.

That is, one talking shop for the populist right endorses the efforts of another talking shop for the populist right.  Job placement doesn't come up.

Contrast that with the universities earning a red, "don't go there" rating.

These universities exhibit a pervasive hostility toward diverse viewpoints and lack robust core curricular requirements, undermining a well-rounded education. These institutions are often heavily influenced by ideologically driven administration agendas and DEI bureaucracies, frequently resulting in limitations on freedom of expression. Moreover, these universities typically demonstrate weak returns on investment, evidenced by lower graduation rates and diminished post-graduation income, making them less favorable choices for students seeking both intellectual rigor and long-term success.

Which of the two elements, the diversity bureaucracy, which might be commingled with the access-assessment-remediation-retention mindset that might be tanking the academics, or the job market outcomes, contributes most to the rating?  Could one impound graduate employment outcomes in ceteris paribus and find otherwise identical universities, with the red one lacking one of those Miller Center programs whilst the yellow one has such a program?

It's useful to have information beyond what U.S. News provide, and the Heritage information might contribute a bit at the margin, as might The Washington Monthly's efforts.  As ever, Ronald Reagan had the right idea. доверяй, но проверяй.

For what it's worth, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan got the red light, while Notre Dame and Wisconsin got the yellow.