UW-Madison ranks sixth in university media study

The University of Wisconsin–Madison was ranked sixth nationally in a new study examining how often colleges and universities appear in the global print and electronic media, on the Internet, blogosphere and social networking sites.

The Global Language Monitor (GLM) study of the nation’s Top 100 colleges and universities was released today (April 9).

Harvard University and Columbia University ranked first and second, with the University of Chicago coming in third, followed by the University of Michigan and Stanford University.

UW-Madison ranked sixth, followed by Cornell, Princeton, Yale and the University of California, Berkeley, rounding out the top 10. The analysis is believed to be one of the first measuring mentions on social media sites.

“This is an intriguing study, and we’re proud to be recognized in such good company,” says Amy Toburen, director of UW–Madison’s University Communications. “The entire state of Wisconsin benefits when the world is aware of the success of our academic, research and public-service missions.”

The semiannual ranking, which includes the Internet as well as traditional media, is “like brand analysis,” according to Paul J.J. Payack, president and chief word analyst at GLM.

“In a year of financial, intellectual and political ferment, one constant has been the primacy of college brands,” he says. “However, they are being scrutinized as seldom before with the differentiators between and among differing schools coming to the forefront.”

GLM used its Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI) software for the TrendTopper MediaBuzz Analysis. The universities were ranked in early April, with the last day of 2008 as the base, with two interim snapshots.