With the election in full swing, the Fall semester is shaping up to be an exciting time here at American University in Washington, DC. In fact, in recently released national rankings, The Princeton Review named AU as the the "most politically active" campus in the country, as #13 in terms of quality of life, and Washington, DC as a "top 5" college town.
In its profile on AU, The Princeton Review quotes extensively from students. Their comments include, "This school lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps politics," a club exists "for just about every type of person you can think of," because of the school's location, politics "infect the campus." "Watching CNN" and "working on the Hill" are everyday activities for many students and "Social justice and community-service groups" are also "very popular."
Among the 15 graduate students I had last Fall in my course on communication theory, two are now working as senior communication staffers for the Obama campaign, another joined the communication staff at the National Academies, and a fourth was just named Communication Director for a Congressman. Others have moved on to jobs at public affairs strategy firms or public interest organizations.
Congrats! Politics makes this world go around and it is very unfortunate that so many arrogant scientists don't see how important it is to frame one's message into a politically correct form.
However, American University is also an academic institution. How does it rank when considering scientific merits?