University students will have to grin and bear a runner-up spot on U.S. News and World Report's college rankings this year.
The magazine placed the University second behind the University of California-Berkeley in its top public university rankings released yesterday.
After sharing the coveted number one spot with Berkeley in 1998, the University dropped to second in 1999, only to tie with Berkeley again last year.
The University also dropped from the number 20 spot in the list of top public and private universities to number 21, trailing No. 20 Berkeley.
Princeton University reigns as the top university in this year's rankings, followed by Harvard University and Yale University, which share the No. 2 spot.
The top spot in these statistics is a coveted position among the nation's elite Universities because "everyone looks at those numbers" Faculty Senate Chairman Robert Grainger said. "Over the years these rankings have taken increased significance."
The drop in the University's rank partially could be the result of a drop from 64th to 66th place in the "financial resources" category, University spokeswoman Louise Dudley said.
With decreasing state support this year as a result of the budget freeze in the Virginia General Assembly, this comes as no surprise to University officials.
"You can't argue with some of the facts used to generate these numbers," Grainger said. "They can reveal potentially serious problems."
Problems include the low level of state support to public education compounded by Gov. James S. Gilmore's car tax issue, the in-state tuition freeze, and the lack of faculty raises this year, Grainger said.
The General Assembly recessed without passing a budget because of conflict over the car tax. This resulted in a statewide budget freeze.
"Hopefully the strengths of faculty and students will outweigh these problems," he added.
Despite the drop, University students continue to take pride in what they see as the number one institution.
"It doesn't really matter that much to me," third-year college student Adam Austin said. "I've found that the intangible benefits of being at a place as unique as U.Va. are greater than any rankings system could show."
U.S. News and World Report began ranking institutions in 1986, using a detailed system to determine the rank a school receives. The criteria include academic reputation, retention rates, faculty resources and student selectivity.
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