The connotation of Ivy League brings to mind prestige, academic success and, according to U.S. News and World Report, America's Best Colleges.
But one college ranking system placed Penn State at No. 5 this year -- ahead of every Ivy League school.
The Washington Monthly ranks America's best colleges by their multi-faceted contributions and achievements, spokesman Ryan Anderson said.
"All [other ranking guides] focus on different aspects," Anderson said. "[The Washington Monthly] focuses on what colleges and universities are doing for the nation."
Penn State was ranked No. 48 this year by U.S. News & World Report, as opposed to Washington Monthly's list at No. 5, beating out Cornell University (7), Stanford University (9) and Harvard University (27).
"It's something that Penn Staters should be proud of," Penn State spokesman Geoff Rushton said. "It uses scientific criteria that measures how universities impact the nation, and Penn State has done very well."
Anderson said the ranking system developed by The Washington Monthly is straightforward and unique. The ranking is based on social mobility, research and social service.
Social mobility is measured in how much a school can provide quality education to low-income students, Anderson said.
In the research category, universities are evaluated on how much they are contributing to society through research. This includes how many Ph.D.s are awarded and how much money the university allots to research, Anderson said.
He also said an ethic of social service instilled in students could be what signifies a university as one of America's best, such as No. 1 Texas A&M University.
He said the factor that contributed most to Penn State's rank is the school's ability to surpass expected graduation rates by a wide margin -- 17 percent.
"By graduating students at a rate far beyond expectations, [Penn State does] a great service not only to [the] student body, but to the nation," he said.
Penn State performed very strongly on all the criteria in the research category, he added.
"Our graduation rates are something to be proud of for all students," Rushton said. "I think that means [students] are getting a quality education, that their faculty and staff are doing a good job helping our students make it through college and that they're happy with their time at Penn State."
The Washington Monthly's system defies traditional ranking systems, such as U.S. News & World Report's, whose methodology is continually facing growing criticism. Just last month, The Washington Post reported that at least 63 college presidents have signed a letter agreeing not to fill out the reputation survey, which now accounts for 25 percent of the rankings.
"The focus [of U.S. News & World Report] is much more on reported representative academic success of students at a university," Anderson said. "The kind of data you'd need to portray that is not available."
Anderson said U.S. News & World Report also focuses on items like peer review, prestige of the institution and the amount of money given by alumni. Such lists are also based on the average salaries of professors and national polling -- things that lead to school spokespeople, like Rushton, to call the lists "ultimately meaningless."
While not all are present on other top ranking guides, all of the top Big Ten schools appear on The Washington Monthly's list.
"Although size does play a role in that success, this is really a reflection of how well many public universities fulfill their public interest missions and serve the nation," Anderson said.
