It’s like they almost get it.

In November, a “tiger team” led by Provost Peggy Agouris presented a slide deck to the College of William & Mary’s Board of Visitors. They detailed the challenges they had identifying a list of W&M’s peer institutions. The corresponding W&M News article, along with the full list, is here.

The Board has adopted this new list, which the College will use for institutional benchmarking and understanding its place in the higher-education landscape. It’s not a bad list, either: there are a few of our former neighbors on the U.S. News list (Boston College, UNC–Chapel Hill, Wake Forest), some of our geographic neighbors (U.Va., Virginia Tech, GW and Georgetown) and a few surprises, like Clemson. Maybe that’s why they called it a “tiger team.”

But even though the article relentlessly over-uses the term “university,” W&M News veers surprisingly closely to the central point of the Gale. Scroll down and read “Did you encounter any challenges in creating that list?”

• “Our primary challenge lies in William & Mary’s genuinely distinctive profile.”
• “…as a liberal arts and sciences university that also holds R1 research status, we defy simple categorization.”
• ”…a nuanced understanding of academic character and mission helps resolve ambiguities.”

It’s like they almost get it. We do, however, take issue with the conclusion: “By articulating effectively our peers, we offer a clear, relatable picture of who we are and where we aspire to go.” There is nothing clear or relatable about a list that puts W&M amidst Brandeis, Southern California, and Georgia. It’s just as unclear as the U.S. News list we discussed last fall.

William & Mary offers a distinct, unique experience that is unmatched in higher education. The fact that finding relevant peers was a challenge tells the story all by itself. Nobody else offers both a small, intimate community of learning in a public school environment — to say nothing of the small-town 1770s ambiance. In this lane, there is only us.

The College of William & Mary must vigorously pursue its unique comparative advantages rather than try to compare too closely to its peers. We must chart a course as unique as we are.

In unrelated news, earlier today the NFL’s Buffalo Bills announced that Joe Brady ‘13 will replace Sean McDermott ‘98 as the team’s head coach. We love to see the Tribe remain so well-represented in the pros.

On a very different note, we can only wish the utmost wisdom and best of luck to Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey ‘04 as he helps his city navigate its sudden challenges.