wfn.org | United Methodist-related schools make national and regional rankings

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

August 24, 1999	Contact: Linda Green**(615)742-5470**Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{437}

By United Methodist News Service

Two United Methodist-related universities have been ranked among the top 50
national universities by U.S. News & World Report magazine for the next
academic year.

Duke University, Durham, N.C. ranked seventh and Emory University, Atlanta,
ranked 18th in the magazine's "America's Best Colleges" issue. 

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,400 accredited four-year colleges and
universities across the country for the rankings. The institutions are
categorized by their mission and region and data is complied from each
school on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence. Each factor is
assigned weight based on the magazine officials' judgement about which
measures of quality matter most. The ranking of the schools is based on
their composite weight score. 

The magazine based 75 percent of a school's score on objective measures of
academic quality such as faculty resources, student selectivity, financial
resources, graduation and retention rates and alumni giving.

Included in the Aug. 23 issue is a best values category for universities and
liberal arts colleges for the year 2000. These schools are above average
academically and cost considerably less than many other institutions. Taken
into account is financial aid, in the form of need-based grants, that the
schools dispense. 

The magazine ranked the colleges and universities nationally and regionally.
Duke and Emory made the list for best values among national universities.
Among the best values in the Midwest are three United Methodist-related
colleges: North Central College, Naperville, Ill.; University of
Evansville(Ind.); and Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio.   

Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, is the only United Methodist
school listed as a best value among regional universities in the South.  No
United Methodist school made the regional rankings in the North and West.

United Methodist schools making the best values list in the national liberal
arts category  are Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss., ranked third and DePauw
University, Greencastle, Ind., 15th.  Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa
ranked second and Adrian College, Adrian, Mich., ranked ninth among schools
ranked as best values among liberal arts institutions in the Midwest. 

United Methodist liberal arts colleges listed among the top 10 best values
in the South are Claflin College, Orangeburg, S.C., ranked at second;
Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Fla., tied at fourth; and Columbia
(S.C.) College, sixth.

The only United Methodist liberal arts college making the top 10 ranking for
best values in the North is Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pa. that tied
for 5th.  No United Methodist institutions were listed in the West.
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