Centenary Named One of "America's Best Colleges" in Forbes.com First Annual Rankings

SHREVEPORT, La.—Centenary College is one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to Forbes.com, in association with Forbes magazine, a leading internet, financial and business company. The College ranks number 164 from a list of 569 undergraduate institutions across the country in the just-published inaugural edition of "America's Best Colleges for 2008."

In conjunction with Dr. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University, and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, the report ranks the colleges based on the quality of the education they provide, and how much their students achieve.

CCAP's methodology attempts to put itself in a student's shoes with questions such as "How good will my professors be, will the school help me achieve notable career success, if I have to borrow to pay for college, how deeply will I go into debt, what are the chances I will graduate in four years, and are students and faculty recognized nationally, or even globally?"

To answer these questions, the staff at CCAP gathered data from a variety of sources. They based 25 percent of the rankings on 7 million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the web site RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25percent depends on how many of the school's alumni, adjusted for enrollment, are listed among the notable people in Who's Who in America.

The other half of the ranking is based equally on three factors: the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed; the percentage of students graduating in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

According to the study, small liberal arts schools did exceptionally well in the rankings, due to both the quality of their faculty and the personal attention they can provide, with students strongly preferring smaller schools to larger one. The median undergraduate enrollment in the top-ranked schools is just 2,285. Centenary's enrollment is just under 1,000 students.

"At Centenary, we provide superior preparation for graduate schools, professional schools and careers," said Darrel Colson, Provost and Dean of the College. "It's a small school, and students feel like they are a vital part of a supportive community."

According to Katie Matza, class of 2009, that is the reason she picked Centenary. "I think the best reason to come to Centenary is probably because it's a small school," she said. "You have so many more opportunities to figure out your own path. We have everything that a big school has, but because we're small, you get to do much more. You get to put together your own future."

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and is regularly rated as one of the top colleges in the South. In 2008 Centenary College celebrates 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.