University ranks sixth in the world
Princeton is the sixth-best university in the world, according to the 2007 World University Rankings, printed yesterday in The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES).
Princeton ranked below Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, Yale and Imperial College London.
The University has ranked first, tied with or above Harvard and Yale, in the U.S. News and World Report's rankings of American universities for the last eight years.
The discrepancy between where the University ranks on the two lists can be attributed to the inaccurate nature of the rankings themselves, said Lloyd Thacker, executive director of Education Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that works on college admissions reform.
Thacker attributed the University's lower rank on the THES list to the international name recognition of the other institutions, especially Harvard.
Thacker was critical of the nature of college rankings. "Whether you're [ranked] five or one or four or 10 is meaningless. The only meaning is that which one would ascribe to it because of their vanity," he said.
Princeton ranked 10th on the THES list in 2006. The University of Chicago and University College London pushed Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley out of the top 10.
THES is a London-based newspaper that reports primarily on issues related to higher education. The Times produces a yearly ranking of the world's top universities. The rankings are available online today.
Votes based on looks
People judge politicians' competency based on the candidates' facial features, according to a study published by University researchers.
Alexander Todorov, professor of psychology and public affairs, published the study with Charles Ballew '06, who majored in psychology. "Voters are not that rational, after all. So maybe we have to consider that when we elect our politicians," Todorov said in a statement.
Ballew and Todorov had subjects view photos of candidates in the 2006 gubernatorial and Senate race two weeks before the election.
The study found that subjects correctly picked the winner 68 percent of the time in 2006 gubernatorial races and 72 percent of the time in Senate elections based solely on facial features. Only subjects who were not familiar with the candidates were counted in the study.
The accuracy of subjects' predictions did not depend on the amount of time they were exposed to the pictures.
Wharton murder trial ends in mistrial
A Wharton undergraduate's murder trial ended in its third mistrial last night, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported.
Irina Malinovskaya was on trial then for the 2004 murder of Irina Zlotnikov, a Temple University graduate student who was dating Malinovskaya's ex-boyfriend at the time of the murder.
Following two weeks of deliberation, Judge James Vaughn declared a mistrial after the jury determined that it would not yield a verdict. The jury hung 8-4 on the count of first-degree murder, 10-2 for second-degree murder and 10-2 for possession of a deadly weapon.
Malinovskaya was previously convicted for tampering with physical evidence and is awaiting sentencing.
Two previous trials also ended in hung juries — the first voted 11-1 for acquittal and the second 6-6.
Lead attorney for the prosecution, Paul Wallace, has not said whether the state will seek a fourth trial.
Read More
Reunions, Commencement see isolated demonstrations as U. tightens protest warnings
Calvin Kenjiro Grover and Luke GrippoAt this year’s Reunions and Commencement, the University sought to get ahead of any potential demonstrations by exhaustively emphasizing its policies around protests and interruptions, including that those who disrupted an event could face arrest. However, there were only a few Pro-Palestine protest actions, all of them sparsely attended.
At this year’s Reunions and Commencement, the University sought to get ahead of any potential demonstrations by exhaustively emphasizing its policies around protests and interruptions, including that those who disrupted an event could face arrest. However, there were only a few Pro-Palestine protest actions, all of them sparsely attended.
Princeton awards 1,293 degrees to the Class of 2025 as speakers reference political headwinds
Maya MukherjeeReunions and graduation speakers referenced the tense political climate around higher education, adding urgent undertones — and sometimes overtones — to otherwise standard ceremonial speech fare.
Reunions and graduation speakers referenced the tense political climate around higher education, adding urgent undertones — and sometimes overtones — to otherwise standard ceremonial speech fare.
Joseph ’25 next Young Alumni Trustee in 21 percent turnout election
Vitus LarrieuGil Joseph ’25 won the Young Alumni Trustee election, which saw 21 percent turnout. Joseph, Stephen Padlo ’25 and Ben Wachspress ’25 competed in the final round of elections after advancing from a notably large primary in April.
Gil Joseph ’25 won the Young Alumni Trustee election, which saw 21 percent turnout. Joseph, Stephen Padlo ’25 and Ben Wachspress ’25 competed in the final round of elections after advancing from a notably large primary in April.