 |
||||
  |
[Home] |
|
JMU RANKED SOUTH'S TOP PUBLIC REGIONAL UNIVERSITY FOR 7TH YEAR | |
  |
|
From: Media Relations September 1, 2000HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison University, for the seventh year, is the top-rated public regional university in the South and moves up a notch to tie for second place among all Southern regional universities, public and private, in the annual U.S. News & World Report college rankings. "Admittedly, one can place too much significance on magazine polls of college and university excellence," said JMU President Linwood H. Rose. "The 'best' college or university for each student depends on that individual's needs and desires, not on a national poll. "Nonetheless, it is always gratifying to see JMU included as one of the top institutions of its type in America – particularly in the U.S. News & World Report survey, which is, by far, the most intensive and objective of any of the magazine surveys. "This recognition is a reflection of the high quality of JMU's faculty, staff and student body," Rose said. "I am grateful for the efforts and hard work of our dedicated faculty, staff and students that result in this high ranking." JMU, which enrolls 15,000 students, was ranked second overall along with Rollins College, a private school in Florida with about 2,250 students. The University of Richmond, also a private institution with about 3,700 students, was ranked No. 1 among all Southern regional universities. Tuition-and-fees charges at both private schools, Richmond and Rollins, are several times higher than at JMU. In last year's rankings, JMU tied for third with Stetson University, also a private Florida institution. Richmond was ranked first and Rollins was second last year. "JMU has consistently been ranked high by U.S. News since the magazine began its polls nearly 20 years ago," said Rose. "In most of those surveys, JMU has been the highest ranked regional public university in the South. "I am pleased that JMU has not only maintained its high ranking, but has actually moved up in the polls and enhanced its academic reputation score during a period of enrollment growth – a time when institutions usually drop somewhat in the rankings. Even though JMU is in a period of growth, it is significant to note that the percentage of small classes increased while the percentage of larger classes decreased." U.S. News & World Report ranked 505 regional universities, and divided them into four regions. Regional universities are those that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's degrees, but few, if any, doctoral programs. The magazine uses indicators of academic quality in seven categories: academic reputation, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and graduation rate. The other Southern public regional universities and their rankings were: Mary Washington College (Va., 6th), The Citadel (S.C., 7th), Appalachian State University (N.C., 10th), College of Charleston (S.C., 15th), Murray State University (Ky., 20th), University of North Carolina-Charlotte (N.C., 20th), University of North Carolina-Wilmington (N.C., 25th), East Carolina University (N.C., 27th), and Winthrop University (S.C., 27th). The top 10 of all Southern regional universities were: Richmond, JMU, Rollins, Stetson University (Fla., 4th), Samford University (Ala., 5th), Mary Washington, The Citadel, Loyola University New Orleans (La., 7th), Mercer University (Ga., 9th) and Appalachian State. The complete table of top Southern universities is available on the Web at http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/sthunivs/sthu_a2.htm. # # #By Cindy Mooy |
 
|
 |
||
|
Publisher: Media Relations For Information Contact: JMU News Bureau |
|||