U.S. News Ranks Scranton in Top 10 ‘Best Regional Universities’ for 19th Year
Scranton Also Recognized for ‘A Focus on Student Success, and as Up and Coming
For the 19th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” and, for the first time, included Scranton in a national listing of “stellar examples” of schools with “A Focus on Student Success.” Scranton was also included in an online listing of just 49 “up and coming” colleges in the nation.
Scranton tied for 10th in its category in the 2013 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges 2013” guidebook, which became available online Sept. 12 and will become available in print on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
In “A Focus on Student Success,” the University was among just 27 schools in the nation recognized for excellence is service learning. According the U.S. News, colleges and universities recognized in this section are “much more determined than others to provide freshmen and all undergrads with the best possible experience,” recognizing that “what’s learned in the field bolsters what happens in class, and vice versa.” The listing is based upon recommendations by college presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admissions of “outstanding examples” in eight program areas, including service learning.
The University offers more than 100 for-credit courses with a service-learning component and a third of Scranton students participate in these classes. In addition to service learning components imbedded in the curriculum, many students and student organizations volunteer with numerous area nonprofit institutions. Each year more than 2,800 Scranton students perform well over 170,000 service hours. The University’s commitment to service was also recognized through its inclusion among just 119 colleges in the nation earning the highly selective Community Engagement Classification designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
“We are delighted by the national accolade of our service learning programs by U.S. News because it recognizes the heart and soul – if you will - of our mission as a Jesuit university,” said Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., president. “We also continue to be pleased by the consistent recognition the University receives for academic quality from U.S. News and other guidebooks.”
In a U.S. News listing only available online, The University of Scranton was among a select group of colleges hailed as “Up and Comers.” This listing, also based on nominations by college presidents, provosts and deans of admissions, recognizes institutions that “have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities.”
The University’s recently completed the largest capital campaign in its history and has opened three residence halls and a campus center since 2008, among other facility investments. The University’s largest capital project, the $85 million Loyola Science Center, just recently completed, will be dedicated in a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 28.
In addition, the University was also named in a listing of “A-Plus Schools for B Students.”
U.S. News bases its rankings on a range of quality indicators that include peer assessment (25 percent); graduation and freshman retention (25 percent); faculty resources (20 percent); student selectivity (15 percent); financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (5%). Data are gathered from detailed surveys of individual institutions, various government agencies, and surveys of presidents, provosts and deans of admissions at peer universities and colleges.
U.S. News categorizes the University among the “Best Regional Universities,” which is based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities, and consists of 625 institutions nationwide that offer a full range of undergraduate and master’s level programs, but offer few, if any, doctoral-level programs. The universities in this category are ranked within four geographic regions in the nation. The north region includes 11 states and Washington, D.C.
