In May 2014, Science magazine published a special issue about “Haves and Have-Nots: The Science of Inequality.” One of the key points raised — that the gap between rich and poor in the United States is growing — caught the attention of CollegeNET and PayScale, which combined efforts recently to create a social mobility index (SMI) to “comparatively assess the role of our higher education system in providing a conduit for economic and social advancement.”

The SMI survey measured five factors relating to higher education: cost of tuition, opportunities provided to low-income students, graduation rate, early career salary for graduates, and the status of the university’s endowment. More than 530 colleges and universities were compared based on these criteria.

The results placed Western Connecticut State University No. 1 in Connecticut and No. 11 nationwide.

At No. 11, Western was one of only three universities located in the New England states to break the Top 100 on the national list (the others, located in Massachusetts, came in at No. 96 and No. 98). And Western’s presence at the top of the list for Connecticut was by a sizable margin: the second-highest ranked Connecticut institution came in at a distant No. 143 on the national list.

“This analysis demonstrates that Western is indeed fulfilling its goal to change the lives of our students,” said Western President James W. Schmotter. “When we succeed at helping students succeed, we also create positive, long-lasting change in our state and the nation as these young people move into their communities as employees and citizens.”

What do these numbers mean?

According to the published findings of the study, a “high SMI ranking means that a college is contributing in a responsible way to solving the dangerous problem of economic immobility in our country.”

In other words, Western offers the desirable combination of low tuition, enrollment of a high proportion of students from low-income families, a good graduation rate with students obtaining desirable early-career salaries, and a commitment from the university to disburse financial aid, scholarships and grants to level the playing field for students whose families might not otherwise be able to afford a college education.

Why should you care?

The study revealed that, “If a student wants to pursue academics in an institution that models awareness and civic responsibility, the SMI can provide a valuable guide. In the end, the greatest returns to self from work, academic or otherwise, come from delivering benefits to family, nation, and our world. Families and students who understand this, and want to move up efficiently to a position of social and economic influence in our country, will gravitate to high SMI schools.”

See for yourself: The rankings can be found at www.socialmobilityindex.org/.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York.
Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.