BY GINA G. SCALA

NEWJERSEYNESROOM.COM

In a year of filled with controversy and heightened expectations, Rutgers University’s 69th place ranking on the best higher education institutions in the nation could be seen any number of ways.

The flagship school in New Brunswick took that honor; while its Newark campus ranks 142 on the national best colleges list, according to the latest U.S. News and World Report. On the local and regional universities list, Rutgers-Camden comes in at number 24.

“U.S. News strives to provide students and their families with the most comprehensive data available,” Bob Morse, director of data research, said. “Measuring outcomes is critical to understanding how well a school retains and educates its students.”

That’s the methodology behind the 2014 power rankings, which left Princeton University in the top slot for national universities. It was tied in 2013’s edition with Harvard.

For the last two decades, the magazine “has been improving school data, content and tools available to provide our readers with the most trusted information on this important 0 and expensive – life decision,” Brian Kelly, edition and chief content officer, said.

It might explain why Rutgers ranking is a question of whether the glass if half-full or half-empty. The university has experienced a series of extreme highs this year and some very low lows.

In July, Rutgers’ historic merger with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey integrated all elements of the two schools except UDMNJ’s University Hospital in Newark and the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford.

The merger was approved in November 2012 just months before the men’s basketball scandal became public with the firing of head coach Mike Rice. Rice was fired April 3 after ESPN released a compilation video showing him verbally and physically abusing players during practice.

It went from bad to worse with the forced resignation of Athletic Director Tim Pernetti, who recently accepted a position with the New York City Football Club of Major League Soccer. But the controversy didn’t end there or with a closer look at the men’s lacrosse coach for verbally abusing players; culminating with the hiring of Julie Hermann to replace Pernetti and an increase in tuition.