紐時賞析／歪曲高等教育？為了註冊率 美院校砸錢宣傳大學排名

Colleges Deride the Rankings, But Some Pay to Flaunt Them

為了註冊率 美院校砸錢宣傳大學排名

Jonathan Henry, a vice president at the University of Maine at Augusta, is hoping that an email will arrive this month. He is also sort of dreading it.

奧古斯塔緬因大學副校長喬納森．亨利希望本月會收到一封電郵，他對此也有些戰戰兢兢。

The message, if it comes, will tell him that U.S. News & World Report has again ranked his university’s online programs among the nation’s best. History suggests the email will also prod the university toward paying U.S. News, through a licensing agent, thousands of dollars for the right to advertise its rankings.

這封信如果寄來，將會通知他：美國新聞與世界報導（下稱美國新聞）再度將他這間大學的線上課程評為全國頂尖之流。以往經驗透露，這封電郵也會鼓勵該大學透過一家授權代理商，支付數千美元給美國新聞，換取宣傳其排名的權利。

For more than a year, U.S. News has been embroiled in another caustic dispute about the worthiness of college rankings — this time with dozens of law and medical schools vowing not to supply data to the publisher, saying that rankings sometimes unduly influence the priorities of universities.

過去一年多，美國新聞捲入又一場關於大學排名價值的尖刻論戰。這次，有數十間法學、醫學院校矢言不提供資料給該出版機構，聲稱排名有時會對大學的優先事項影響過甚。

But school records and interviews show that colleges nevertheless feed the rankings industry, collectively pouring millions of dollars into it.

但校方的紀錄和訪談顯示，多家院校依然養活排名產業，共同向其傾注數百萬美元。

Many lower-profile colleges are straining to curb enrollment declines and counter shrinking budgets. And any endorsement that might attract students, administrators say, is enticing.

許多知名度較低的院校正極力阻止註冊人數下滑，並應對預算縮水，而校方主管說，一切可能吸引學生的認可都很誘人。

Maine at Augusta spent $15,225 last year for the right to market U.S. News “badges” — handsome seals with U.S. News’ logo — commemorating three honors: the 61st-ranked online bachelor’s program for veterans, the 79th-ranked online bachelor’s in business and the 104th-ranked online bachelor’s.

奧古斯塔緬因大學去年支付15225美元，取得授權以便行銷美國新聞的「標章」，即有著「美國新聞」標誌的華麗圖章，表彰著3項榮譽：在提供給退役軍人的線上學士課程中名列第61、線上商學學士課程名列第79、線上學士課程名列第104。

The money flows from schools large and small.

給錢學校大大小小都有。

Critics believe that the payments enable and incentivize a ranking system they see as harmful.

批評者認為，這些付款催生且鼓勵了排名系統，造成危害。

“I still cannot believe that higher education has collectively paid them to skew what we do in higher education,” said Heather Gerken, dean of Yale Law School, who helped lead the uprising among law and medical schools. The money “devoted to this unserious enterprise,” she said, could have been used to “transform lives,” perhaps through financial aid or the recruitment of low-income students.

耶魯大學法學院院長希瑟．格肯說，「我依然無法相信，高等教育界向來集體付錢給他們，來歪曲我們在高等教育的志業」，她協助領導多間法學院、醫學院的反抗運動。她說，那些「貢獻給這家不入流企業」的款項，本來可以用來「改變人生」，或許是透過補助金或招收低收入學生。

U.S. News said its business of licensing its logo reflects its reputation. The rankings, U.S. News leaders said, help students and parents find clarity in a crowded, confusing college marketplace, and let quality schools break through more easily with prospects.

美國新聞表示，授權標誌業務反映其聲望。美國新聞的領導階層說，這些排名有助學生和家長在百家爭鳴、眼花撩亂的大學市場裡尋得明燈，並讓優質學校更容易在潛在學生間取得斬獲。

Eric Gertler, executive chair of U.S. News, acknowledged in an interview that the publisher pulls in millions from universities looking to share in the allure of U.S. News’ credibility.

美國新聞執行主席格特勒在訪談中承認，許多大學希望從美國新聞公信力的魅力裡分一杯羹，讓該出版機構進帳數百萬美元。

文／Alan Blinder 譯／高詣軒

說文解字看新聞

【高詣軒】

大學排名有助學子做為選校參考，但也被批評影響大學運作方向。此文凸顯高等教育也如市場般擁擠，付費宣傳自家排名是家常便飯。

文中有幾個表達「刺激、鼓勵」的動詞。Prod原意是戳、刺，後比喻為鼓勵、策動：The report should prod the Government into spending more on the Health Service. Incentivize是以誘因激勵：Everyone accepts that the market needs reform to incentivize investment.

Caustic形容尖刻、挖苦的，像是caustic comments，可謂謔而不虐；acrid也可描述言詞辛辣刻薄且經常不懷好意，例如acrid invective；兩字原本皆用來形容具體事物：caustic指物質有腐蝕性、acrid指氣味或味道辛辣嗆人，後才引申形容言論。

Skew指使某物歪斜、偏差，或改變及影響某資訊或看法，如skewed the facts to fit their theory。英式的非正式用法中，可用skew-whiff描述事物歪掉或計畫偏離正軌：Their plans went a little skew-whiff.