Online, print, broadcast all buzz about Virginia Tech, national ranking results
Virginia Tech ranks in the top 20 colleges and universities being talked about most frequently in print, broadcast, and Internet media, and in blogs and tweets, according to the latest ranking by an Austin, Texas-based company that specializes in media analytics.
Global Language Monitor said that its “brand equity measurements” of 2012 mentions ranked Virginia Tech No. 17. Last year, the Blacksburg, Va., university was rated 19th. This year’s measurement puts it higher on the list than Johns Hopkins, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke. The University of Virginia fell from number 25 to 32 on the Buzz list.
The company rated MIT as the number one school followed by Harvard. The University of California at Berkeley was the top public university in the 10 highest ranked schools. The University of Minnesota jumped 15 spots into the top 20 while the University of Michigan dropped 12 places from 13 to 25. Public universities held 13 of the top 25 rankings.
“Virginia Tech has long been in the forefront of new technology applications, and we suspect that this latest ranking reflects the technical expertise of many young people wanting to become Hokies,” said Larry Hincker, associate vice president of University Relations. “It also might reflect [Virginia] Tech’s highly respected reputation. Either way, it’s nice to be noticed.”
For 2012, Virginia Tech’s homepage had 16.7 million page views and 11.4 million unique views. In addition, there were 3.3 unique visitors, while the university’s Facebook page grew from 93,571 likes in January 2012 to 118,063 likes in December 2012.
The university's Facebook page carries articles, upcoming events, and daily updates. Its "friends" have debates about politics, football games, and campus life. The followers of Virginia Tech's various Twitter accounts, including media representative such as NBC TODAY Show co-host Hoda Kotb, who is an alumna; parents; students; and incoming freshmen.
In addition, many of the colleges, institutes, and centers within Virginia Tech have their own Facebook and Twitter accounts as do some of the sports teams and clubs. These online presences allow groups to educate others on campus, decision-makers, and the public, in general, about their activities, accomplishments, and research.
Global Language ranks more than 400 colleges and universities for number of mentions every nine months and this the 10th such rating in the past six years. The company bases its analysis on the number of mentions in the top global print and broadcast media, webpages, blogs, and Twitter, YouTube, and similar services around the world. Millions of mentions are included to reach the analytic results.
According to Global Language, no school can influence or corrupt the measuring method because of the enormous sample used. In addition, the company’s methodology reflects both positive and negative mentions caused by scandal and controversy.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
