Mocking the chase for prestige in higher education, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona declared last month any system of ranking colleges that values wealth, reputation and exclusivity more than economic mobility and return on investment is “a joke.”

Cardona didn’t mention U.S. News & World Report. He didn’t have to. Anyone paying attention knew the target of his critique: the “best college” lists from U.S. News that have shaped the hierarchy of higher education since 1983.