Are there really universities out there that excel in both research AND creating a better economic life for their graduates?
The prestigious Brookings Institution in Washington thinks so, and in 2017 they told the world that one of those great universities is NIU.
In their report titled “Ladders, Labs or Laggards? Which Public Universities Contribute Most,” the Brookings researchers said a good case can be made for public support of universities that act as either ladders for social mobility, making for a more fair society, or laboratories for research, expanding knowledge to improve the welfare of the broader population.
They studied 342 selective, four-year public universities and identified those among them that served as either “ladders” or “labs.” They also found a group of over-achievers who were leaders in both research and social-mobility – and near the top of that much shorter list was NIU.
“These criteria represent the two most celebrated purposes of the American public university system,” the report read. Only one other school in Illinois appeared in that ranking (the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), and Brookings placed it several places below NIU.
“This recognition highlights exactly what distinguishes NIU from other universities in Illinois and elsewhere,” said then-Acting President Lisa Freeman. “The university’s combined emphasis on opportunity and innovation maximizes NIU’s long-term, positive impact on our graduates, on their families and communities, and on our regional economy.”
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
