U.S. News, Bob Morse Retires:

He’s known as the godfather of college rankings, the man behind the curtain of the U.S. News annual Best Colleges guide for almost 40 years.

But no more. The man the Washington Post called “one of the most powerful wonks in the country," has decided it’s time to cease wonking. Robert Morse, known to all as Bob, is retiring after a 49-year career at U.S. News & World Report that saw him elevate a casual reputation survey among a handful of college presidents into a journalistic enterprise providing tens of millions of prospective college students transparency into the formerly shrouded world of higher education. In the process, Morse expanded the universe of college choices beyond the east coast elite, making readers aware of many public and lesser-known private schools on the list of 1,500 institutions.

While the rankings enterprise has been the work of many U.S. staffers, Morse was the driving force behind the integrity of the product and the public face to fans and critics alike.

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