(September 12, 2012)

Centenary named a Tier One National Liberal Arts College for second year

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College earned the distinction of Tier One National Liberal Arts College for the second year in a row, U.S. News & World Report announced today in its annual rankings.

"This ranking reflects Centenary's national leadership as a selective, residential liberal arts college," said David Rowe, President of Centenary College. "Centenary is defining church-related, liberal arts education for the twenty-first century. We are honored to be recognized for the bold and pioneering work of our faculty and staff and the engagement, leadership, and achievement of our students and graduates."

Each year, U.S. News & World Report publishes the national rankings to provide reliable and consistent data to help prospective students and their families in their college search. This year, Centenary joins other selective, residential liberal arts colleges from the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) in the top tier, including Rhodes, Washington & Lee, and Southwestern. Centenary's ranking was based on several key measures of quality, including undergraduate academic reputation and graduation and retention rates. Institutions listed as National Liberal Arts Colleges emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts.

"Centenary continues to make progress as a selective liberal arts college focused on developing leaders for a changing world," said Gail Roberson, Director of Admission at Centenary. "We recently welcomed the future graduates of the Class of 2016 who have the highest average GPAs, test scores, and high school class rank of any entering cohort in at least the last five years. We are certainly headed in a positive direction as an institution."

Centenary's recognition follows several other recent accolades by national firms:

  • Last month, Forbes included Centenary on their list of America's Top Colleges for the fifth consecutive year.

  • In a national report, management firms Sterling Partners and Bain & Company placed Centenary in the top 20 percent of institutions based on financial sustainability.

  • Last week, Washington Monthly ranked Centenary among top liberal arts schools that make a significant contribution to the public good.

For more information, visit U.S. News & World Report online.