Getting Rid of Thecollege Loan Repo Man by STEPHEN Burd
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Why the Presidential Debates Won’t Matter GETTING RID OF THECOLLEGE LOAN REPO MAN BY STEPHEN BURd Best-bang-for-the- buck colleges 2012 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 $5.95 U.S./$6.95 CAN Silicon Valley’s assault COLLEGE on higher education RANKINGS Why aren’t What Can College conservatives funny? Do For You? HBCUsHow do tend UNCF-member to outperform HBCUsexpectations stack in up successfully against other graduating students from disadvantaged backgrounds. higher education institutions in this ranking system? They do very well. In fact, some lead the pack. Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings UNCF “Historically black and single-gender colleges continue to rank Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute Institute for Capacity Building well by our measures, as they have in years past.” —Washington Monthly Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington “When it comes to moving low-income, first-generation, minority Monthly’s College Rankings students to and through college, HBCUs excel.” • An analysis of HBCU performance —UNCF, Serving Students and the Public Good based on the College Rankings of Washington Monthly • A publication of the UNCF Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute To receive a free copy, e-mail UNCF-WashingtonMonthlyReport@ UNCF.org. MH WashMonthly Ad 8/3/11 4:38 AM Page 1 Define YOURSELF. MOREHOUSE COLLEGE • Named the No. 1 liberal arts college in the nation by Washington Monthly’s 2010 College Guide OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS • Named one of 45 Best Buy Schools for 2011 by 830 WESTVIEW DRIVE, S.W. The Fiske Guide to Colleges ATLANTA, GA 30314 • Named one of the nation’s most grueling colleges in 2010 (404) 681-2800 by The Huffington Post www.morehouse.edu • Named the No. 3 HBCU in the nation for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report • One of “America’s Best Colleges” for 2010 for the third year in a row by Forbes MOREHOUSE COLLEGE THE WORLD Redefine . MOREHOUSE COLLEGE 12-100 Admissions Our Town Ad.indd 1 6/12/2012 4:12:20 PM Contact us at 1-800-PORSCHE or porscheusa.com. ©2012 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times. All prices shown are Porsche suggested retail prices only. MSRP excludes tax, license, registration, dealer prep, options, and destination charge. Dealer prices may vary. Fuel economy based on EPA estimates. Actual mileage and range will vary. porscheusa.com/cayennediesel The first mile takes your breath away. Which leaves 764 in the tank to catch it. 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Starting at $55,750. 12-100 Admissions Our Town Ad.indd 1 6/12/2012 4:12:20 PM 121688 POR – Cayenne Diesel – Washington Monthly page ad Proof Status INITIAL SPELL TIME DATE App: InDesign CS5 Trim: 8.375" x 10.875" Pubs: Washington Monthly KL Rocco Revello rr rr Artist: rr Live: 7.875" x 10.375" Due: 7/25 AD Proof #: 1 Bleed: 8.625" x 11.125" Insertion: Sept/Oct 2012 PR Wayne Heldt Scale: 100% PM Julie Roberts Color: 4/C Fonts: Porsche News Gothic/Franklin Gothic, Helveticas AM Kristin Vayda CM Tiffany Groth HOWARD UNIVERSITY For over 143 years, Howard University has been an advocate for social justice and an architect of social change nationally and globally. As one of the nation’s leading research universities, Howard is dedicated to educating students from diverse backgrounds at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. Guided by our extraordinary cadre of faculty, students are immersed in cutting edge scholarship and innovation including nanotechnology, human genome research and atmospheric science as well as the social sciences, arts and humanities. twitter.com/HowardU facebook.com/howarduniversity we discoverHere, students learn that knowledge isn’t just acquired in the classroom— life is their laboratory. A UC San Diego engineering student prepares to launch an aerial camera that will take panoramic images of the landscape. Projects outside of the classroom help foster a lifelong spirit of discovery that propels our students’ success. To learn more, visit ucsd.edu. VOLUME 44 NUMBER 9/10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 Cover THE 2012 COLLEGE GUIDE Introduction: A Different Kind of College Ranking 27 by the Editors America’s Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges 31 In this year’s rankings, we show which schools get their students over the finish line at a reasonable price. by Rachel Fishman and Robert Kelchen The Siege of Academe 35 For years, Silicon Valley has failed to breach the walls of 19 higher education with disruptive technology. But the tide of battle is changing. A report from the front lines. by Kevin Carey Getting Rid of the College Loan Repo Man 45 Our current system for collecting student loans makes no distinction between deadbeats who cheat and the much greater numbers of people who just don’t have the money to repay. As predatory debt-collection agencies ruin the lives of more and more Americans, we are ignoring an easy and fair solution. by Stephen Burd Got Student Debt? 49 by Minjae Park and Danny Vinik 35 Answering the Critics of “Pay As You Earn” Plans 52 by Stephen Burd National University Rankings 54 Liberal Arts College Rankings 68 Top 100 Master’s Universities 80 Top 100 Baccalaureate Colleges 84 A Note on Methodology: 4-Year Colleges and Universities 88 45 COVER: Tina Schrider/Froghouse Photography, James Porter TOC IMAGES: Getty Images; Chris Wormell; Tina Schrider/Froghouse Photography, James Porter Departments Editor’s Note: Where Credit Is Due 10 Editor in Chief Founding Editor Letters 12 Paul Glastris Charles Peters Tilting at Windmills 14 Managing Editor: Amy M. Stackhouse The enthusiasm gap … Editors: John Gravois, Sebastian Jones Books Editor: Kukula Kapoor Glastris Clinton’s catch-22 … The Me-First Era Senior Fellow and Project Editor: Phillip Longman by Charles Peters Contributing Writer: Ed Kilgore Web Editor: Daniel Luzer College Guide Guest Editor: Kevin Carey College Guide Data Manager: Robert Kelchen ten miles square Contributing Editors: Jonathan Alter, Steve Benen, James Bennet, Thomas N. Bethell, Tom Bethell, Katherine Boo, Taylor Branch, Matthew Cooper, Michelle Do Presidential Debates Really Matter? 19 Cottle, Kevin Drum, Gregg Easterbrook, John Eisendrath, James Fallows, T. A. Frank, Daniel Franklin, Joshua Green, Charles Homans, Mickey Kaus, Phil Keisling, Michael Remember all the famous moments in past debates that Kinsley, Christina Larson, Nicholas Lemann, Suzannah Lessard, Arthur Levine, changed the outcomes of those elections? Well, they didn’t. Joshua Micah Marshall, Jon Meacham, Stephanie Mencimer, Matthew Miller, Rachel Morris, Timothy Noah, Joseph Nocera, John Rothchild, David Segal, Walter by John Sides Shapiro, Joshua Wolf Shenk, Amy Sullivan, Nicholas Thompson, Steven Waldman, Benjamin Wallace-Wells, Robert Worth The Clintonites’ Beef With Obama 22 Editorial Advisory Board: Nicholas Lemann, Chair; Clara Bingham, Debra Dickerson, It’s not his policies they complain about James Fallows, Steven Teles Founder’s Board: Charles W. Bailey (1929–2012), Russell Baker, James David but his messaging. Is that fair? Barber (1930–2004), Edgar Cahn, David Halberstam (1934–2007), Murray Kempton by Simon van Zuylen-Wood (1917–1997), Peter Lisagor (1915–1976), Richard Reeves, Richard H. Rovere (1915–1979), Hugh Sidey (1927–2005), James C. Thomson III (1931–2002) Party Animals 24 Art Director: Amy Swan Any chance Romney might govern as a Interns: Minjae Park, Danny Vinik moderate? For a clue, look at his senior staff. Publisher Chairman by Jonathan Bernstein Diane Straus Tucker Jeffrey Leonard Vice President Vice President Operations and Marketing Circulation and Business On Political Books Carl Iseli Claire Iseli Advertising Director Business Manager Why Aren’t Conservatives Funny? 90 David Greene Ryan Cooper An academic’s doomed attempt to explain why Board of Directors: Jeffrey Leonard, Chair; Steve Coll, Paul Glastris, Diane there are no good right-wing comedians. Straus Tucker by Joshua Green President and Publisher Emeritus: Markos Kounalakis Web Site Development: Michael Murphy, Dean Pajevic First-Rate Temperaments 93 Subscription Rates: U.S. and possessions: one year, $44.95; two years, $79.95; three years, $109.95. For Canadian and foreign subscriptions: add $20 per subscription year. Liberals don’t want to admit it, and conservatives Back issues, $6. 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