Funding and endowment have a LOT to do with the rankings. My last year on the faculty at UGA we took a big hit in funding from the state, and most of the endowments that we had in the college of pharmacy were upside down - the endowments where worth less than the original endowment - because of the economic crisis. This meant there was less money for financial aid and less money for funding faculty research. Yes, pretty much every university took hits during the financial crisis, but some took harder hits than others and UGA was hit pretty hard. But this doesn't mean that the actual academic credibility of the university took a hit. UGA is still a tier 1 major research institution. People should be concerned by this, but not ashamed. I am and will always be proud to have been on the faculty at UGA.
GATA! Woof!
