The category name has changed, but the results remain the same. For the fourth straight year, Ouachita Baptist University has been ranked the No. 1 Regional College in the South by U.S. News & World Report. The regional college category, previously listed as baccalaureate colleges, includes four regions throughout the nation. The South region includes approximately 100 undergraduate colleges and universities in a 12-state area that stretches from Arkansas to Florida.In addition to being named the top regional college in the South, Ouachita was named the No. 2 “Great Schools, Great Prices” Regional College in the South. Ouachita has been ranked in the top two of this category three years in a row, reflecting the university’s outstanding economic value. With today’s release of the 2011 rankings, Ouachita is once again the only university in Arkansas to earn a No. 1 rating among the major categories in the highly regarded U.S. News analysis. Ouachita also ranked among the top five regional colleges in the South in graduation rate. Additionally, Ouachita has been ranked in the top five among Regional Colleges in the South for graduates with the lightest debt load as well as in the top five “A-Plus Schools for B Students.” The A-Plus category ranks schools “where nonsuperstars have a decent shot at being accepted and thriving.” “We are pleased with the continued recognition of the high quality of Ouachita educational programs,” said Ouachita President Rex M. Horne, Jr. “Being named the No. 1 Regional College in the South four years in a row is significant. It reflects well on the outstanding faculty and programs available to our students year after year. “The value of a Ouachita education is demonstrated in being in the top two in the ‘Great Schools, Great Prices’ category for our region for the third consecutive year,” Dr. Horne added. “Seeking the best education available is a wise investment, and the faculty and staff at Ouachita work hard to keep that level of quality as affordable as possible. “The Ouachita experience is unique, both for its academic strength and the sense of community felt by our students, faculty and staff,” President Horne said. “The rankings bear out what our alumni and students already know – Ouachita is a very special place to study and learn.”According to U.S. News & World Report, the annual survey of more than 1,400 colleges and universities includes “data from each college on up to 15 indicators of academic excellence. … The indicators include input measures that reflect a school’s student body, its faculty and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution does its job of educating students.” The indicators are used to assess academic quality in six key categories: assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student retention and graduation rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. Ouachita is “known as a strong academic institution in varied disciplines and academic programs,” Dr. Horne said. Ouachita offers majors in seven academic schools in the disciplines of business, Christian studies, education, fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. According to U.S. News, the “Great Schools, Great Prices” rankings indicate that “the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.” The report also noted that “the most significant values are among colleges that are above average academically.” Highlights of the college rankings will be published in the September issue of U.S. News & World Report and the 2011 America’s Best Colleges guidebook.
By TRENNIS HENDERSONNews Bureau
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