For the 4th consecutive year, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College ranks as one of the best colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report in its 2011 Edition of Best Colleges. The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available today according to U.S. News and World Report, and will also be published in the September issue of the magazine, on news stands starting August 31.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is ranked in the Best Regional Colleges in the publication’s compilation of the nation’s 319 colleges in this category. Among the 71 top-ranked Midwest colleges, SMWC was also recognized for having one of the highest percentages of classes under 20 students at 94 percent, among the 71 top-ranked Midwest colleges. Up from the 20th spot in 2010, SMWC moves to number 18 in its category.
“We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the top colleges in the Midwest,” said Dottie King, Ph.D., interim president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. “Our commitment to our students continues to focus on academic excellence where students engage in leadership and service; stretch their minds and imagination in and out of the classroom; and seek for the ways to effect positive changes in our global society.”
Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities. According to the Carnegie, the Best Regional Colleges focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts. The 319 colleges in this category draw heavily from nearby states.
The 2011 Best Colleges package provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, “graduation rate performance” and high school counselor ratings of colleges. U.S. News & World Report has made some significant changes to the 2011 Best Colleges’ ranking methodology and presentation.
Founded in 1840 by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. Today, SMWC thrives by offering a rich liberal arts education, scholarships and financial aid opportunities to make college affordable, individual attention, a value-centered education in a Catholic tradition, and a wide variety of student leadership activities. U.S .News & World Report and The Princeton Review consistently rank SMWC as one of the Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest.