A survey carried out to test the reliability of college and university ranking methods is reported. A questionnaire sent to all college and university deans in the United States asked for the names and ratings of five institutions felt to be: (1) influential in the present structure of the respondent's institution; (2) most useful if consulted for assistance in program development; (3) most influential, nationally, on educational programs of other institutions; (4) most like the respondent's institution; (5) most innovative in their programs; and (6) most widely-reputed for their innovation. A significant result was that no single group of institutions was referred to by all respondents or having to do with all questions. The concentration on a small cluster of highly-rated institutions was most pronounced among doctoral-granting universities. State, regional, sector (public or private), and institution-type (two-year, liberal arts, comprehensive, or doctoral) loyalties are examined. While the dataset was not large, and the sampling technique used was not the best, the survey's results call into question what appear to be widely-held assumptions about the ranking of institutions. The data suggest that "leadership" among institutions is not unitary; an institution that leads in prestige or scholarship may not necessarily lead in educational innovation or strongly influence other institutions in this same area. (Author/MSE)