Iowa State is on the move.

In a recent ranking of the nation’s universities by U.S. News and World Report, ISU tied with SUNY-Albany as the 45th best public university in the nation.

While placing 45th out of 50 universities may not sound impressive at first, there are hundreds of public universities in the country, and ISU made the second tier of all universities in the nation, public and private.

The first tier consists primarily of private and Ivy League schools, including Harvard and Yale.

Some university officials expressed their satisfaction with the rankings.

“Anytime that you are listed in one of these rankings, it enhances the universities’ chances of attracting students,” said Phil Caffrey, associate director of admissions.

Associate Dean of Students Houston Dougharty agreed that the rankings are positive for ISU.

“Anytime you get recognition from an external agency that evaluates academic excellence is good,” Dougharty said.

Dougharty said the university does not use rankings as a public relations tool.

“No, we haven’t used rankings like this on a regular basis,” Caffrey said. “We let the publications stand alone. The problem with rankings is that there are so many, some become suspect, based on the criteria they use.”

U.S. News and World Report scores universities on up to 16 different areas of academic prowess, such as graduation rate, freshmen retention percentage (ISU’s is 82 percent), admission rate and percentage of incoming freshmen in the top half of their high school classes, according to its Web site.

The universities also must be accredited and have a minimum enrollment of 250 students. When these evaluations have been completed, the universities are weighed against other schools of similar attributes, and rankings are determined.

“We must take these rankings with a grain of salt,” Caffrey said. “I tend not to put too much emphasis on these rankings, seeing how universities jump from seventh to 40th in the span of one year.”

However, Dougharty said he understands why the rankings exist.

“We live in a consumer-driven society, so if these rankings must exist, it is better to be on them than not,” Dougharty said.

ISU students offered several different takes on the U.S. News and World Report article.

“I didn’t look at the rankings, but at the school itself,” said Sara Shepley, undeclared freshman. “Iowa State has a strong history in science and technology, and that’s where I’m leaning.”

Lisa Spence, junior in journalism and mass communication, said rankings only matter to a certain extent.

“It’s more of a personal choice [of] deciding which university to attend,” said Spence, who recently transferred from a junior college. “To me, it was about strength of the programs, the feeling of comfort and job placement rate.”

To some students, the ranking may be a source of pride.

“I don’t go around bragging, ‘Hey, we’re 45th!’ But it is nice to know,” Spence said.

Another student said ISU’s ranking affirms the university’s quality.

“It helps,” said Marcy Hilleman, freshmen in pre-architecture. “It is good to know we are doing something right.”