The University's return to the top of the U.S. News & World Report rankings for public universities should have a limited effect on fund-raising efforts, University officials said.
U.S. News ranked the University in a tie with the University of California-Berkeley as the number one public university in the country and 20th among national public and private institutions last Friday.
In last year's rankings, the University was 22nd overall while Berkeley took the 20th spot. The two institutions tied for number one in the 1998 public schools list.
Fund raising at the University moved into high gear after the $1 billion Capital Campaign began in 1995. So far, the campaign has raised about $1.19 billion for renovations, scholarships and operating expenses.
According to Charles B. Fitzgerald, associate vice president and director of development, the year-to-year fluctuations in the magazine's rankings have little effect on the University's overall fund-raising strategy.
"Obviously, the top ranking increases our common sense of pride in the University community," Fitzgerald said. "The more pride alumni take in the University, the more they are willing to invest in it."
Last year, when the University slipped to the number two ranking among public universities, was "one of our best [fund-raising] years ever," he said.
One of the seven criteria the magazine uses in calculating its rankings is the undergraduate alumni giving rate. The University was ranked 31st in alumni giving this year with an average 29 percent participation rate for 1998 through 2000.
"In the midst of this large campaign we are trying to get out the message through our Young Alumni and Reunion Programs that alumni giving at all levels is vital," Fitzgerald said.
Senior Vice President Ernest Ern named efficient fiscal management as a component of the University's return to the top ranking. "We get more miles per gallon than many of our peer institutions," Ern said.
He added that the quantitative yearly rankings only partially can describe the University and need to be augmented with qualitative experiences of alumni and students.
"You have to take in consideration the frailties of rankings as a measure of success," Ern said. However, he added, "this [ranking] bodes well for the University. Other people are recognizing the great things that are happening in Charlottesville"
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