Your degree is from an unranked university...

[disgruntledbilliken]

We are on a list with Oklahoma City University, Randolph University, Drury University, Dakota Wesleyan University....embarrasing.

 

Article: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-rankings-blog/articles/2018-08-22/updates-to-8-schools-2018-best-colleges-rankings-data

 

E-mail from Pestello pasted below:

Dear Members of the SLU Community,

 

I write this evening to share with you some concerning information that has come to our attention within the past 24 hours. This information regards an error in our reporting for the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.

 

This past spring, we made a mistake in our submission to U.S. News. The University received no rankings gain in this error. Our 2018 U.S. News Best College rankings — which many students and families consult — were accurate. Our error did not help our numbers.

 

Yesterday, U.S. News emailed us to say their data analysts found a discrepancy in the six-year graduation rate numbers SLU reported for the 2010 entering class/cohort in 2018 versus what we reported in 2017. SLU was one of eight colleges and universities that received such notifications. As a result, U.S. News immediately listed all of them, including SLU, as “unranked” on the 2018 U.S. News profile until clarifications are made.

 

For reference, institutions submit six-year graduation rate numbers two years at a time. For example, in 2017, we submitted six-year graduation rates for the 2009 and 2010 freshman cohorts (first-time college, full-time, degree-seeking freshman). In 2018, we submitted graduation rates for the 2010 and 2011 cohorts.

 

The University leadership team gathered to review our data submissions for the past two years, and here is what was discovered:

 

1.      There was an unintentional error made this spring in SLU’s reporting of the 2010 cohort six-year graduation rate. We reported it was 74 percent when in fact it should have been reported as 77 percent — as it had been reported in 2017.

 

2.      This kind of mistake is inexcusable, and we must own it and correct it.

 

The leadership team has reached out to U.S. News to explain the error and to correct the record. However, we are not sure at this point how this error might affect the 2019 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings that will be released in early September.

 

The University will undertake an extensive review of our processes, conducted by an impartial, external organization, and institute new procedures.

 

I apologize that we made this mistake and for any possible negative reflection this may have on the outstanding work done by our faculty, staff, and students.

 

I regret sharing this as our new students come to campus, our upperclass students return, and our faculty start a new semester, but I believe it is essential for me to make you aware of this issue and know that it may get media attention in the days ahead.

 

I thank each of you for your many contributions to Saint Louis University.

 

Sincerely,

 

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.

President

Edited August 24, 2018 by disgruntledbilliken

[slu72]

Jeeez, this kind of blows. 

[disgruntledbilliken]

To make matters worse, the correction is also INCORRECT!

Check the numbers in the U.S News article and compare them to the e-mail. The correction email mixes them up!

[Taj79]

To my knowledge and feeble recollection, never, in the forty years since I graduated, has anyone ever asked me "where does your college rank in US World News and Reports?"  

Conversely, never have I asked a prospective employee where their alma mater ranked in the same.  For the most part, the degree got you in the interview.  Where it goes from there is purely on you.

[Spoon-Balls]

At this point, these kinds of blunders are to be expected. Pathetic leadership at all levels of the University right now. 

[disgruntledbilliken]

13 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

To my knowledge and feeble recollection, never, in the forty years since I graduated, has anyone ever asked me "where does your college rank in US World News and Reports?"  

Conversely, never have I asked a prospective employee where their alma mater ranked in the same.  For the most part, the degree got you in the interview.  Where it goes from there is purely on you.

You are right. No one has asked me either. I also don’t think that the “no ranking” reflects on the actual quality of the university. 

 

However, it is in your last point where we agree, but seemingly see things differently. You say that the degree is what gets you the interview. Exactly. Prestige can get you in the door, but not get you through. Prestige is created, in part, by rankings like these. Are they the end all be all? No. But they are in important ranking in today’s college market. 

Just like success in basketball can give a university increased visibility, so can these rankings. 

It also just makes the university look bad.

Edited August 24, 2018 by disgruntledbilliken

[Old guy]

35 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

To my knowledge and feeble recollection, never, in the forty years since I graduated, has anyone ever asked me "where does your college rank in US World News and Reports?"  

Conversely, never have I asked a prospective employee where their alma mater ranked in the same.  For the most part, the degree got you in the interview.  Where it goes from there is purely on you.

That is correct. Your college ranking in real terms is displaced by your grad or professional school ranking, and even that is displaced by you post grad experience. By the time you reach you initial place of employment, all that counts from there on is what you did at your prior place of employment, how many promotions you got, and why do you want to switch jobs. It is assumed that you have a valid college education, and graduate and post grad experience is just icing on the cake. After you join the workforce rat race you write your own ticket. 

I entirely agree, your degree or degrees get you through the initial entry door, where you go afterwards is up to how you handle it.

[Franchise_08]

Another big F*ck up from this admin. Fred is over his head.

[Glorydays2013]

Just a list of recent F-ups under this admin

Clocktower

Med School certification

Med School admissions being rigged

Sit 2

US news rankings declining (tentative)

the countless behind the scenes mess ups around the university

I am sure there are more

 

 

If anyone still has contactvwith someone who works at SLU or works for SLU you would understand and know how badly this place is being managed. Its shameful. 

 

[kshoe]

2 hours ago, disgruntledbilliken said:

To make matters worse, the correction is also INCORRECT!

Check the numbers in the U.S News article and compare them to the e-mail. The correction email mixes them up!

As someone that works for a financial firm that submits a lot of data to publications and clients, I have a fair amount of sympathy for data errors that can occur. They happen all the time and typically aren't deliberate. The difference between 74% and 77% probably isn't noticeable to most people and I certainly wouldn't say the original mistake qualifies as the type of thing that you could say "Fred Pestello don't know what he's doing." Its the type of things someone 4 levels down did and in my mind it doesn't really reflect on top leadership. I'm sure others will disagree and say something like "the buck stops with the President." That's their opinion and they are entitled to it. But I don't think it's that awful, quite frankly.

But screwing up the apology and reversing the numbers in the e-mail is ridiculous. I read the original e-mail and said, "why are we getting punished for under-reporting our graduation rate." If anything our ranking should be higher and this sounds like U.S. News is being obnoxious as all we did was harm our ranking.

Clearly, the opposite is true and we reported 77% when it should have been 74% and somehow that difference is large enough to change our ranking down by one slot. If I can figure that out with a quick read, HOW CAN THE PEOPLE AT SLU NOT FIGURE IT OUT BEFORE SENDING OUT A MASS EMAIL. It should have been double checked 8 times over and Fred himself should have said, this doesn't make sense, why would our ranking drop if our graduation rate was actually higher than what we reported.

It's mind numbing to me that an e-mail like that can have such a significant error in it.

[SLU_Lax]

Unfortunately mistakes like the email are common. The athletic department has done it several times over the years. I remember when the UD? Game was being rescheduled and SLU accidentally said the rescheduled team/game was Florida A&M? who was scheduled that night. No correction was sent and no correction will be sent on this email. 

These are just two examples of many. I wish the school would hire a competent person or two to try and fix this structural problem. When I express aggravation with Chris May it’s about his department not being able to get this under control. That said, it does appear May’s administration has improved social media quite a bit and I hope that it indicates AD communication will be improved across the board. 

[ARon]

2 hours ago, Taj79 said:

Conversely, never have I asked a prospective employee where their alma mater ranked in the same.  For the most part, the degree got you in the interview.  Where it goes from there is purely on you.

I’m inclined to agree.  A headhunters once told me that while having a MBA matters, where you got it from only matters if its from a top 20 or so institution.

[Billy Ken]

Blame BoT. 100%. Biggest morons/problem in whole equation. They put up with Fred looking for golf carts and talking to seals. Great job BoT! Incompetent board=incompetent leadership. 

[JMM28]

Oh Fred. You’re in over your head. 

[Spoon-Balls]

The BoT is lost without Biondi. They were all hired as yes men but none of them have stepped up to be leaders except for Doc Chaifetz. The University still has a budget problem that no one wants to deal with. The Provost got fired because she was the only one with balls to say certain departments needed to make cuts. So Fred caved into the department chairs’ desperate pleas for help and he kicked the budget can further down the road.

[Billy Ken]

Ask people with SSM about university’s financial problems....med school is bad, mass exodus of good remaining staff and facility coming soon. Fred talks about greatest year of fundraising, on a campaign he originally wanted $1 billion, then cut in half, still not there after 5 years going. Makes total sense. Place is being run into ground literally. All their “good” news is a facade. The latest blunder has become the norm, also like how they point out there are other universities just as incompetent as SLU, like that makes it better. Morons. 

[disgruntledbilliken]

6 hours ago, Billy Ken said:

Ask people with SSM about university’s financial problems....med school is bad, mass exodus of good remaining staff and facility coming soon. Fred talks about greatest year of fundraising, on a campaign he originally wanted $1 billion, then cut in half, still not there after 5 years going. Makes total sense. Place is being run into ground literally. All their “good” news is a facade. The latest blunder has become the norm, also like how they point out there are other universities just as incompetent as SLU, like that makes it better. Morons. 

The whole record breaking campaign always seemed dubious to me. I do know what all departments were asked to put a freeze on asking for alumni donations over the past year to maximize the amount of money that goes to the university itself. 

I don’t doubt that the university had a record breaking fundraising year. But I wonder if you take into account that the departments were prohibited from asking for money if the year was really that good. In other words, I wonder if you take a past year and add up all of the money collected by the university AND the money collected by individual departments if this year was really that record breaking. Maybe it was. It’s bebinrerssting to know though and would really shine a light on if Pestello is a good fundraiser.

[73Billiken]

Just another reason for the Society of Jesus Rapid Response Team for Failed Leadership to be dispatched from Rome............

[NextYearBill]

id send Pestello an email... but i know from experience he doesnt respond when i resort to calling him names 

[RiseAndGrind]

6 minutes ago, NextYearBill said:

id send Pestello an email... but i know from experience he doesnt respond when i resort to calling him names 

He doesn’t respond to any criticism, ever. 

[Billy Ken]

1 hour ago, disgruntledbilliken said:

The whole record breaking campaign always seemed dubious to me. I do know what all departments were asked to put a freeze on asking for alumni donations over the past year to maximize the amount of money that goes to the university itself. 

I don’t doubt that the university had a record breaking fundraising year. But I wonder if you take into account that the departments were prohibited from asking for money if the year was really that good. In other words, I wonder if you take a past year and add up all of the money collected by the university AND the money collected by individual departments if this year was really that record breaking. Maybe it was. It’s bebinrerssting to know though and would really shine a light on if Pestello is a good fundraiser.

You nailed it. It’s creative accounting. The president is a con artist and BoT are co-conspirators. 

[billikenfan05]

Do you think that email was really a mistake? 

[Billy Ken]

My good friend retired when a buyout was offered years ago. Best decision he ever made. Said SLU now is run poorly top to bottom. He keeps in touch with people still there and said they did a survey to employees and the numbers were so low it’s sad. Terrible moral currently. Look at chairman of the bums. Stepped right out of caddy shack movie. Nothing about that wimp screams vision or exciting, if anything it screams get off my lawn and I need my blanket it’s cold in here! Purge the board, things turn around. Having families pay that amount of tuition with those morons running factory, is almost criminal.  But, Derf will make another funny video and we can all have a good laugh. Rinse and repeat. 

[LindellWest]

12 hours ago, disgruntledbilliken said:

To make matters worse, the correction is also INCORRECT!

Check the numbers in the U.S News article and compare them to the e-mail. The correction email mixes them up!

 

[CBFan]

12 hours ago, disgruntledbilliken said:

You are right. No one has asked me either. I also don’t think that the “no ranking” reflects on the actual quality of the university. 

 

However, it is in your last point where we agree, but seemingly see things differently. You say that the degree is what gets you the interview. Exactly. Prestige can get you in the door, but not get you through. Prestige is created, in part, by rankings like these. Are they the end all be all? No. But they are in important ranking in today’s college market. 

Just like success in basketball can give a university increased visibility, so can these rankings. 

It also just makes the university look bad.

Though I am proud of my degree I would have loved to been in a job interview in the St. Louis area with a St. Louis University degree, SLU is way more impressive than the school I graduated from.

I am a proud St. Louisan and Wash U and SLU have always been prestigious institutions and it is such a shame that the azz clown show at SLU continues with the Freddy P. administration.

Quote, "This kind of mistake is inexcusable, and we must own it and correct it" you must own it Freddy P. you only say we so you can throw the we folks under the bus and you keep your job, great leadership.