Newsweek named Tufts as one of 25 "New Ivies" in its 2007 Kaplan College Guide, which hit shelves on Aug. 17. The article is the most recent example of increased media coverage for the University, which has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent months.
"I think we're doing very well as an institution, and people are taking notice," University President Lawrence Bacow said.
The Kaplan guide argued for Tufts' place on the list of 25 by saying that "[Tufts] students are expected to take what they learn and find real-world applications ... It's not surprising that international relations is the school's most popular major, followed by economics, political science, psychology and child development. More than 40 percent of students study abroad."
"There are a couple of things that made us choose Tufts," Annette Riffle, a contributing editor to the Kaplan College Guide, told the Daily. "First was the quantity of students that applied. We noticed that applications increased 80 percent in the past decade. Obviously, the word has gotten out."
Another draw for Kaplan was Tufts' "focus on real-world application to classroom skills," Riffle said. "You can see that in the popularity of the IR major or the ability to major in Chinese, Japanese, or Russian. Tufts looks to educate not just from an esoteric standpoint, but really to get students ready for the real world."
Kaplan interviewed students, admissions officers, alumni and college guidance counselors in forming its list.
Prior to the Newsweek article, Tufts made a splash in the national media when it received donations of $40 million from Jonathan Tisch (LA '76) this past June and $100 million from Pierre and Pam Omidyar (LA '88, LA '89) last November.
Tufts' increased publicity has been drawing the attention of other universities. "I now get stopped by presidents of other colleges who ask why we always get such good PR, so that's a nice feeling," Bacow said.
"Our students keep getting better and better, and we are committing more resources to faculty recruitment," Bacow said. "It's not just public relations. Good things are happening and inevitably people notice. I'm obviously pleased when we get good publicity, but we don't manage for it."
While Tufts may have loftier goals in mind than Newsweek shout-outs, the administration still recognizes the importance of increasing its profile. Part of that responsibility falls to Julie Pierce, Tufts' Executive Director of Communications since October 2005.
"Personally I feel like it's going well," Pierce said. Stories like the ones printed in Newsweek and the Kaplan College Guide "enhance the reputation of Tufts and get us recognition that we deserve," she said.
"We've had fabulous media coverage in the last six to 10 months, and coverage in the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times has been very favorable."
Meanwhile, TCU Senate President Mitch Robinson is doing his best to convince Tufts students that the school is, in fact, a top-flight university.
Robinson says that the Senate has been working to increase school pride, offering prospects for relieving Tufts students' "Ivy-League reject" complexes.
"The Senate has been really working on improving pride across the school," Robinson said. "We want every student at this campus to feel that this school is what it truly is: one of the best in the nation."
Robinson cited the new brown and blue banners on aluminum posts around campus as one example of the Senate's efforts to increase school pride. The Senate began lobbying for the banners last year as one of several initiatives toward this goal.
"We want the entire student body to know that Tufts is more than just a new Ivy," said Robinson. "It's a school that fosters a new type of student who's brilliant both within the classroom and outside of it."
Whether the Senate will be successful in its effort to increase school pride is yet to be seen, but the consensus off the hill seems to be that Tufts is a buzz-worthy school.
"Tufts used to be a hidden gem," Riffle said. "It's not so hidden anymore."
