Given how badly the University of Massachusetts got whacked as a second-tier school by the Boston Globe earlier this month, how eager do you think UMass officials were to run Friday’s full-page ad in the Globe about coming in #56 in the Times of London World University Rankings?

(Cock-of-the-walk press release here. Globe make-up story here.)

Ad headline (under a Times of London banner):

The University of Massachusetts is one of the best universities in the world . . .

“Truly World Class”

Truly sweet, yes?