From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Thu Aug 21 2003 - 15:11:51 EDT
August 22, 2003 == MEDIA ADVISORY
The annual U.S. News & World Report college guide rankings for 2003-2004 see
Calvin College tied for third in the category of Midwest Comprehensive
Bachelor's Colleges. There are 109 schools in that group.
"Our category is filled with good schools," says Calvin vice president Tom
McWhertor. "We're happy to be recognized as one of them."
St. Mary's, Ind., was number-one in the category, while Taylor, Ind., was
second. Calvin and St. Norbert, Wis., tied for third.
Schools were rated in such categories as peer assessment, freshman retention
rate, graduation rate, full-time faculty and more. Calvin scored the best of
any school in its category in peer assessment, a rating that measures what
presidents, provosts and deans of admissions at Calvin's competitors think of
the school's academic programs.
McWhertor was pleased by that. "To again have our academic efforts recognized
by our peers is heartening."
Calvin also scored high in its category in percentage of faculty who are
full-time (91%), freshman retention rate (86%) and graduation rate (71%).
Calvin's category is made up of schools that focus on undergraduate education
and offer a range of degree programs - in the liberal arts, which account for
fewer than half the bachelor's degrees, and in professional fields such as
business, nursing, accounting, engineering, social work and education.
Interestingly the top four schools in Calvin's category all have strong
religious ties. MIAA colleague St. Mary's is a Catholic women's college,
Taylor is an interdenominational, evangelical college, Calvin is part of the
Reformed tradition of historic Christianity and St. Norbert is a Catholic
college in the Norbertine tradition.
U.S News & World Report has been ranking colleges since 1983 and its survey is
widely considered to be one of the most thorough. The survey ranks colleges on
academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student
selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. Calvin has been a
top-ranked school 16 of the last 18 years.
Other state schools also received kudos from U.S. News & World Report. The
University of Michigan was 25th in the category of Best National Universities,
while Michigan State University was tied for 73rd and Michigan Tech tied for
99th. In the category of Best Midwest Master's Universities the University of
Detroit Mercy was tied for 31st. Local colleges Aquinas and Grand Valley State
were named to that category's second tier (39th through 69th), while
Cornerstone was named to the fourth tier (108th to 142nd). And in Best
National Liberal Arts Colleges, Kalamazoo was tied for 66th, while Albion was
tied for 85th, Hope was tied for 91st and Hillsdale was tied for 97th.
For complete rankings info see www.usnews.com
-end-
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