What is the 'best' school?

Recently, Forbes put out a report on America's best colleges (Ewalt) from a somewhat different perspective--from the students' points of view. Based on feedback from students, Forbes ranked the top 610 out of 6600 private and public universities. Along with give-aways like Princeton, MIT, and Stanford making the top 20, lesser known schools like Williams College (no. 1), Claremont Mckenna College (no. 7), and Ponoma College (no. 17) also made the scoreboard. Well, what do we make of this list? Perhaps academicians would have chosen a different list, as would corporate executives, government officials, and taxpayers in general. Would all these groups have chosen Williams College as the number one school? Probably not, but whose opinion really counts? It should be the student's, right? After all, the student is the one attending.

It all comes down to the simple question of, 'who is the customer?' Who is the school catering to? The 'best' school will be defined as the school that creates the most value for its intended audience. But who is the audience? This is where it gets tricky. Most educational institutions, both public and private, cater to the values of many groups simultaneously. They are all performing a balancing act that make it nearly impossible to tease out which school most effectively provides for the needs of all its constituents. Here are just a few different customers of post-secondary educational institutions and why client retention in these groups is a must:

Students: Colleges want to attract high-caliber students because the student is the customer in the most direct sense. The product is education and the students are the ones who consume it. The quality and satisfaction of the students contribute greatly the the school's reputation.

Professors: Colleges want to bring in the most notable professors in various fields because the professors are the skilled labor that make the product of higher learning what it is. They are the engineering behind the product. Without quality professors, the school has no competitive advantage.

Donors: Ever wonder why a particular building on campus is named after someone you've never heard of? It's because that person paid the school for the recognition. Many wealthy people donate to academic institutions for the prestige. If a college is serious about improving, it needs funding. Therefore, the better it caters to its donors, the more funding it will have to turn out a better product.

Parents: In most cases, parents will be the ones paying for students' education, so the school better be pretty darn convincing that the knowledge it is disseminating is worth the investment. Especially in private institutions but also to a degree in public institutions, parents are writing the checks. The best schools will be the ones who pay heed to the values of parents.

Academicians/Scholars: The opinions of intellectuals in various academic fields hold a lot of water when it comes to the reputations of schools. Academic institutions invest a lot of money in turning out research that appeals to these scholars and their organizations because it demonstrates their academic prestige.

Corporate executives/government leaders: After students graduate, where do they find jobs? Smart academic institutions will pay attention to future employers because parents will pay for students to go where they can build a foundation for a solid career. The best education is meaningless if it doesn't justify the fiscal investment. What do potential employers think of the school? Definitely worth a consideration.

These groups just name a few 'customers' that may play a role in how a college strives to be its 'best.' Sure, the popularity of the school amongst its students counts quite a bit, but it is by no means the only thing to consider. Just like any other business that must consider the values of a diverse customer base, academic institutions are in a constant struggle to maximize satisfaction amongst a diverse range of constituents.


Ewalt, David M. (2010, August 11). America's Best Colleges. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/11/best-colleges-universities-rating-ranking-opinions-best-colleges-10_land.html?boxes=Homepagelighttop