FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (9/5/96)
SHREVEPORT, LA -- In its annual America's Best Colleges issue, which arrives on newsstands Sept. 9, U.S. News names Centenary College in Shreveport as the sixth-ranked regional college - university in the South.
Centenary was also ranked No. 6 among "best college values" in the South in a separate listing of institutions that offer the best education for the cost. The Best College Values issue will appear on newsstands Sept. 16.
The rankings mark the seventh consecutive year that Centenary College has been listed by the magazine. Last year Centenary was ranked 10th among the South's Top 15 regional universities.
One other college in Louisiana is in the magazine's Top 15 Southern universities in the South this year (Loyola University of News Orleans at No. 8), and one other Louisiana institution is among the best-value Southern universities (Xavier University in New Orleans at No. 10).
To arrive at its quality rankings, U.S. News did a reputational survey of 2,730 officials at accredited four-year colleges and universities. The results of that survey were combined with educational data that measured student selectivity, faculty resources, financial resources, retention rate and alumni giving. For its best-value rankings, the magazine considered a quality-to-price ratio, the percent of undergraduates receiving grants meeting needs, grants exceeding finanical needs and the percent of total costs covered by average grants.
Centenary College of Louisiana, founded in 1825, is the nation's oldest college west of the Mississippi River. It is a four-year, private, liberal arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students come from 25 states and 12 foreign countries. More than 92 percent of the faculty hold the highest degrees in their fields.
Central to the educational experience is the Centenary Plan, a three-part program that requires each student to study and live in another culture, explore careers and graduate programs, and give back to the community via volunteer activities or other service-learning projects.
U.S. News's Top 15 colleges and universities in the South this year are:
1. University of Richmond (VA)
2. Rollins College (FL)
3. James Madison University (VA)
4. Stetson University (FL)
5. Mary Washington College (VA)
6. CENTENARY COLLEGE OF LOUISIANA
7. Samford University (AL)
8. Loyola University of Louisiana
9. The Citadel (SC)
10. Converse College (SC)
11. Harding University (AR)
12. (Tie) Queens College (NC) and Spring Hill College (AL)
14. Appalachian State University
-30-