Taylor University Ranked Number One for the Third Straight Year In U.S. News Survey
08.20.2009
Taylor University has been named the number one Baccalaureate College in the Midwest in the US News & World Report America's Best Collegesnewly-released 2010 U.S.News & World Report survey, America's Best Colleges. It is Taylor's third straight top ranking and follows ten straight top-three finishes.
Taylor earned 100 rating points while second-place Ohio Northern University received 90 points. Augustana (South Dakota) was third with 83 points. Dordt College and Northwestern College (both in Iowa) rounded out the top five with a fifth-place tie, scoring 82 points.
Among the Midwest Best Baccalaureate Colleges, Taylor was ranked first for peer assessment, average freshman retention rate and average graduation rate. Taylor also earned number two ranking for its ability to attract freshmen in the top 25% of their high school class and third for average alumni giving.
Taylor was honored in two additional America's Best Colleges categories. Taylor finished second in the Midwest in one grouping, A Strong Commitment to Teaching. The list consisted of 80 colleges and universities throughout the United States who, according to the editors, "were singled out most often when experts were asked to identify schools where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching." A second category, Great Schools, Great Prices, ranked Taylor fourth - also in the Midwest.
"Taylor University's third consecutive number one ranking in the latest U.S.News survey is a wonderful blessing and recognition of the efforts of the broader Taylor University community as well as the efficacy of our educational mission," said Dr. Eugene B. Habecker, Taylor president. "This honor is a tribute to the many Taylor faculty members, students, staff, trustees, friends, alumni, parents and so many others who for 163 years have worked diligently to develop a culture of excellence even as they have embraced the connection between faith and learning in the context of whole-person education. The only appropriate response to this exciting news is praise and thanksgiving to God."
"We are also grateful to the editors of U.S.News, a respected publication that for a quarter century has set the standard for collegiate ranking surveys," he added.
"It is gratifying to see Taylor in the number one position, but we don't take it for granted," said Mark D. Taylor, President/CEO of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., and chairman of Taylor's Board of Trustees. "Our administrative staff and faculty work hard every single day to ensure that we maintain a level of excellence in all the areas that make a great university."