August 17, 2007
Rankings increase for Georgia College & State University in US News & World Report on America's Best Colleges
Rankings for Georgia College & State University increased in two key categories in the latest edition of America's Best Colleges, which was released today by U.S. News & World Report.
In the category of "Top Public Universities" for Master's degrees in the South, GCSU rose to the 15th position, up from 18th in last year's report. And, in the overall rankings, GCSU's position jumped to 38 from 50 among both public and private Master's universities in the South.
“We are pleased to again receive recognition from this national publication,” said GCSU President Dorothy Leland. “It is just one of many indicators of the growing reputation for academic excellence that Georgia College enjoys both statewide and nationally.”
President Leland noted that other national-level recognitions received by Georgia College recently have included its designation as a “College of Distinction,” as one of the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and as one of the “Best Southeastern Colleges” by The Princeton Review.
“Even more gratifying is the number of students who choose to remain at Georgia College,” President Leland said, noting that the university has enjoyed a student retention rate of approximately 84% over the past two years, well above the national average.
“This is a credit to our deans and faculty, and also to our wonderful support staff,” she said.
According to the University System of Georgia, rankings such as those provided by U.S. News & World Report are best utilized as a measure of accountability, and can be viewed as a means to compare and test the quality of an institution, its programs, resources, costs and faculty. As such, they represent another important tool to address the challenge and opportunity to engage in continuous process improvement, helping institutions assess programs and put in place the appropriate changes that benefit students.