JMU's stewardship acknowledged by U.S. News

James Madison University heads the list of five regional universities in the south that operate most efficiently, according to measurements by U.S. News & World Report.

The findings are part of a new listing calculated by the news magazine to show which schools are able to produce the highest educational quality, as determined by their place in U.S. News' Best Colleges rankings, but spend relatively less money to achieve that quality.

Others on the list are Appalachian State University, University of Mary Washington, College of Charleston and Belmont University.

The list was calculated by looking at the financial resources a school spends per student on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures. According to the magazine's methodology, JMU spends $13,480 per student on those categories.

The list is based on operating efficiency, defined as a school's 2011 fiscal year financial resources per student divided by its overall score in the 2013 Best Colleges rankings.

"The less a school is spending relative to its ranking, the more efficient it is in producing a quality education among its peers," the report states.

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