NEWS: Rankings, accolades help prospective students determine their higher education trajectory

By Federico Gian Otero
Bridge Contributing Writer
Published Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024

Among its recent rankings, TAMIU received some positive notations from Niche, including an overall A- rating. Rankings like these from various websites can help students and faculty choose which college to attend.

Steve Harmon, director of Public Relations, Marketing, and Public Information Services for Texas A&M International University, said looking at statistics, including rankings and accolades, whenever choosing a college is important.

“When you are making a major decision—like where you are going to invest your time, your money, your future—I think it behooves you, as a parent or as a student, to collect all the research that you have available to you,” Harmon said.

However, these types of rankings should not be considered the ultimate deciding factor but a supplementary notation toward one’s final decision.

“If somebody’s considering working here—for example, when we’re hiring new faculty—yeah, I’m sure that they would be encouraged to look at things like these and to weigh them in their options, just as a student would consider the University.”

They can examine the location, compare it to prior jobs, whether they would do research alone or with students; all of these would help to decide if this college is best for the applicant’s academic methods and style.

Websites that provide rankings for colleges are especially helpful because they provide useful information for those enrolling or looking for jobs at an educational facility.

“Different ranking entities have different standards,” Harmon clarified.

He called out the uniqueness of the Niche ranking because it also takes into consideration the student body’s voice. He said Niche is an excellent website for students looking for colleges because it includes alumni reviews, which “gives it more value.”

During the 12 years Niche has included TAMIU, there were 1,400 reviews posted with some posts as recent as eight days prior to the writing of this article.

Aside from student reviews, data collected for the website is independent from the University.

Ranking authorities collect data through methods such as surveys and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. TAMIU’s Institutional Assessment submits data to various reporting entities, including IPEDS.

“[The IA] responds to these surveys, files them in a timely manner and they all feed into an enormous database with the U.S. Department of Education and others,” Harmon explained.

These datasets affect a lot of TAMIU’s resources, such as how the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is configured and how different services on campus are rendered.

Furthermore, this data is then collected by different websites and then officials choose what to do with it.

“Rankings … help to tell our story because sometimes, for many people, those sorts of indicators are much more valid to them than saying what we’re doing,” Harmon said. “They tell the story for us, and it is a good powerful story.”

Among the many rankings that were recognized by Niche, food was one of the highest: it received No. 4 of 68 for Best College Food in Texas and No. 45 of 1,344 for Best College Food in America.

Aramark, the company in charge of TAMIU’s food services including Dusty’s Diner, received the high Texas rating.

“We are proud of our team at TAMIU and the great things that happen on campus,” Aramark District Manager Cory Bourg noted in an email. “There are some big campuses on the top five list and our ranking is one that we should all be proud of.”

The colleges before TAMIU are Rice University (No. 1), University of Texas-Permian Basin (No. 2) and University of Texas at Austin (No. 3).

“TAMIU deserves a brag-worthy dining program that incorporates quality, variety and great-tasting food,” Bourg continued in the email. “We have taken our conversations with our guests to heart. The goal of our dining program starts with delivering the personal attention to each student once they enter our dining location. For us, hospitality means having empathy for our guests and it is demonstrated through servant leadership and relationships that are built through kindness and care.”

Consequently, the company’s dedication earned them fourth in competition with other well-renowned colleges.

“One of the things we try and strive for here at the University is to be accessible, affordable and exceptional,” Harmon said.

Despite its high rankings regarding food and other areas, TAMIU did receive some lower rankings. One of the low grades TAMIU received was in Diversity: C+.

“I don’t think [it should be] like a C+, I think like maybe a B-,” TAMIU art major Arlo Sepulveda said. “C+ is kind of like low, no? I understand the majority of the people who are going here are gonna be Hispanic …  but there are also still some other people from different parts of the world because this is an International University.”

Harmon acknowledges that these rankings and reviews are ultimately dependent on what a particular student is looking for; however, he said everyone at TAMIU is always working to improve things.

“If we want to be affordable, accessible and exceptional, we will continue to work on those elements and those services and those resources that will help us to secure those … because that is what our students need,” Harmon said. “That’s what they deserve, and that’s what we do well.”

Interested persons can read more about the Niche rankings at https://www.niche.com/colleges/texas-a-and-m-international-university/