Head of the class

This is how SMU rates in prestigious 2021 U.S. News & World Report college rankings

These SMU students would now be wearing masks, of course.

The prestigious new U.S. News & World Report's new 2021 Best Colleges report is out, and Dallas' Southern Methodist University has landed in the top 100 nationally — although a few places down from last year.

The trusted annual report that compares more than 1,400 undergraduate institutions in the United States has ranked SMU No. 66 nationally and No. 3 in Texas. That's a couple spots down from its No. 64 national ranking in 2020.

This, on the heels of another recent report, by neighborhood review site Niche.com, that ranked SMU No. 4 in Texas and No. 86 nationwide.

The U.S. News report, released September 14, gave SMU high marks in the categories of Best Colleges for Veterans (No. 38), Best Colleges for Veterans (No. 50), Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (No. 102), Best Value Schools (No. 151), and also cited it as No. 373 in the category of Top Performers on Social Mobility. (No, that doesn't have to do with social media)

Nationally, SMU (somehow!) tied at No. 66 with a number of other schools: Texas A&M University; Fordham University in New York; George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles; University of Massachusetts - Amherst; University of Minnesota - Twin Cities; and Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The prestigious U.S. News report compared the institutions across 17 measures of "academic quality" this year. Acknowledging the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on students and schools, the publication made several updates to its methodology, notes a release.

For 2021, U.S. News added two new metrics to measure student debt. It also increased the weight of the outcome category, which measures graduation rates, retention rates, and social mobility, and reduced the weights for standardized test scores, high school class standing, and alumni giving. And, for the very first time, the report ranks test-blind schools (those that don't require an SAT or ACT score for admission).

"The pandemic has affected students across the country, canceling commencement ceremonies and switching classes from in person to remote," said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer, in a release. "Whether students have slightly altered their college plans or changed them entirely, it remains our mission to continue providing students and their families with the tools they need to help find the right school for them."

Among Texas' other top schools, UT Austin ranks No. 42 nationally, up six spots from 2020. It's the school's highest ranking on the report since 1985, touts a news release from the university. UT Austin also rates as the top public university in Texas.

Elsewhere, Baylor University comes in at No. 76 and Texas Christian University, at No. 80.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the title of best university in Texas once again goes to Rice. The prestigious Houston school ranks No. 16 among national universities, up one spot from last year.

Besides earning high marks for its undergraduate teaching, innovation, and value, Rice gets special mention from U.S. News for its quality of student life.

"Rice University, located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, offers a dynamic student life in the nation’s fourth-largest city," the report says.

So, which university is head of the class, nationally, in 2021?

That honor would go to Princeton University, followed by Harvard, Columbia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Yale to round out the top five.

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beyond the stacks

Texas public libraries deliver billions in economic impact, study says

dallaslibrary.org/

Dallas shines a lot brighter with its public library system.

A new statewide study examining the economic impacts of public libraries has revealed they have generated over $3.8 billion in value to local communities — a return of $4.74 for every $1 invested.

The report, "Beyond the Stacks: Measuring the Economic and Community Value of Texas Public Libraries" was conducted by third-party consultancy JBK Economics Group in partnership with the Texas Library Association. About 300 of the total 513 public libraries in Texas participated in a survey for the report.

A major finding from the survey revealed that public libraries create billions in economic value for the communities they serve at a fraction of what it costs to pay employee wages and benefits, operating expenditures, and capital expenditures. About 11,200 jobs were directly and indirectly supported by public libraries, the report found.

The report found its $4.74 to $1 ratio by adding up the total value of the services provided by these institutions (an estimated $2.48 billion), and comparing it to total expenditures ($808.6 million).

"Public libraries had about the same economic footprint as the Texas motion picture and sound recording industry ($2.9 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024) or the Texas paper manufacturing industry ($4.0 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024)," the report said.

Many Dallasites are already familiar with Dallas Public Library's expansive catalog and programming, but there are many more services the library provides that might fly under the radar. A few examples include access to subscription-based research databases and news outlets, free notary services, free admission to local arts and culture events through Culture Pass Dallas, seed libraries, and maker spaces for creative endeavors. Individual branches also provide free Wi-Fi, computer access, meeting spaces, tax assistance, and job help.

Residents outside Dallas also have access to services at several other local libraries, depending on their address. For instance, Plano Public Library offers free cards to residents and for residents in reciprocal cities like Allen, The Colony, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Richardson, and Wylie.

These are additional services and partnerships that Texas public libraries commonly provide, per the survey results:

93 percent provide voter registration and/or serve as voting locations
84 percent provide partnerships with local social services agencies
82 percent provide job application assistance
68 percent facilitate applications for government benefits
38 percent provide on-site social services
30 percent provide telehealth rooms and/or resources

"Public libraries are practical, welcoming and rooted in the communities they serve — they are unmistakably Texan," said Texas Library Association executive director Shirley Robinson in a press release. "This study puts a dollar value on the opportunities libraries create every day. Whether someone visits a library to apply for a job, access the internet, learn a new skill or simply find a new favorite book, those services create real value for Texans and their communities."

libraries city life dallas dallas public library

Head of the class

This is how SMU rates in prestigious 2021 U.S. News & World Report college rankings

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beyond the stacks

Texas public libraries deliver billions in economic impact, study says