NATIONAL SURVEY: JMU MOVES UP 'GREAT FOOD' CHAIN

From: Media Relations

August 23, 2005

HARRISONBURG — In this league, you just can't call it "campus food." It's cuisine.

Breaking into college cuisine's Top 10, James Madison University jumped up five chef's hats to No. 6 in the nation for "great campus food," based on student surveys, in The Princeton Review's annual college guide for 2006, "Best 361 Colleges."

JMU had ranked 11th in last year's 2005 guide, and 18th in 2004.

The Princeton Review asked 110,000 students at 361 top colleges to rate their schools and report on their campus experiences. The book, which goes on sale Aug. 23, ranks the top 20 colleges in each of 62 categories, such as "great campus food."

On the downside, JMU appeared for the first time, at 18th, on the list for "students dissatisfied with financial aid," based on students' assessments of how satisfied they are with their financial aid package.

In the two-page profile of JMU, students are quoted as recognizing the school's "welcoming environment," "well-ranked academics" and ability to deliver "more fun than you can have anywhere else." Students touted "a good business school," "solid health services programs," the "unique integrated science and technology major," the "exceptional" physics department and a "small, research-oriented environment." JMU faculty are praised for their "willingness to extend learning outside of the classroom" and their "realistic method of teaching to prepare students for real-world job applications."

"Extracurricular activities are a definite strength" of JMU, and "partying is big here," reported students in the survey. "Most here agree that 'everyone is pretty balanced when it comes to work and play.'" The University Recreation Center "is always packed." JMU's student body is 'friendly and outgoing" and "has a fairly homogeneous population," while "some point out that 'each entering class appears to be more diverse.'"

The 70-question survey asks students (300 per campus on average) to rate their schools on such topics as academics, life at the school and fellow students, and to report on their experiences.

All the lists are available at the Web site at: Princeton review.com.

The Princeton Review is a New York City-based company known for its test prep courses, education services and books. It is not affiliated with Princeton University or ETS.

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