A well-informed scientist would never think of saying, "The University of Thus-and-Such is a great science school"; he or she would articulate a more informed view of the university in question by saying what the strong science departments or programs were. Just as a university has specific strengths due to history, facilities, and staffing, liberal arts colleges are composed of numerous (smaller) departments or programs. There is no such thing as a homogeneously excellent set of science departments at any college.
To use an example I am familiar with, the 50 "science-active colleges" on the Oberlin Report list you reprinted are purported to be the best small science schools in the United States. However, the Council on Undergraduate Research more recently published a national rating of biology departments (CUR Newsletter, 11[4]:25-33, May 1991) that used several criteria including the critical one (for this discussion) of the total number of students ...
