It was a surprising and — as the New York Times put it — "dramatic" set of announcements. On Wednesday, both Yale and Harvard decided to withdraw their law schools from consideration in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation's "best" institutions. In a statement, Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken dropped the hammer, saying, "U.S. News rankings are profoundly flawed — they disincentivize programs that support public interest careers, champion need-based aid, and welcome working-class students into the profession."
Yet the fundamental rot in the American university system goes far deeper than any system of rankings. As author, John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor and Harvard Law alumnus Evan Mandery explores in his new book "Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us," it's our Ivy League and elite "Ivy plus" schools that perpetuate a disingenuous narrative of merit and achievement — and the illusion of opportunity.
