A newly released college ranking compiled by Evan S. Dobelle, president of the New England Board of Higher Education, is generating a buzz. The list, which cites 25 universities as being tops for their community involvement, has garnered praise for adding substance to the college-ranking mania. Not surprisingly, institutions on the list are thrilled.

However, the list’s back-story might be a slight distraction. Mr. Dobelle was ousted as president of the University of Hawaii in 2004. The ugly split landed in court, and, as part of a mediated severance, the university paid $250,000 for a two-year research project by Mr. Dobelle. The list is the product of that endeavor.

Folks in Hawaii aren’t exactly thrilled to have footed the hefty bill for the 400-page study that lies behind the ranking. That’s $625 a page, for readers not armed with calculators.

Strong community relations were hardly a selling point for Mr. Dobelle in Hawaii (although he did win widespread plaudits earlier for his town-gown success while president of Trinity College, in Hartford, Conn.). And the University of Hawaii didn’t make the list, proving that not all subsidized research is biased.

The headline on an Associated Press article sums up the Hawaiian response to the list: “Former UH president turns in his research paper.”