Abilene Christian University continued its top-tier ranking in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report on "America's Best Colleges," and appeared near the head of the class in a new category recognizing innovation among 70 schools that peer institutions believe "everyone should be watching." The issue will hit newsstands Monday.
ACU tied with Chapman University (Calif.) as the No. 1 "Up-and-Coming School" in the Universities-Master's western region. USNWR polled experts who responded to its annual peer assessment survey to help the magazine identify schools fitting the profile of institutions that have recently made striking improvements or innovations, and are looking to the future.
"We are thrilled at this outstanding recognition by peer institutions of our remarkable progress in creating a culture of innovation across our campus," said Dr. Royce Money, ACU president. "As pioneers in technology and higher education, we continue to explore innovative learning technologies to apply in the classroom and enhance the overall learning experience."
Along with this honor, ACU continues to be ranked in the top tier of quality, posting 21st in the western region. Only three Texas institutions – Trinity University (1), University of Dallas (13) and St. Mary's University of San Antonio (16) – appeared higher among those in the "Best Universities – Master's" category. ACU's peer assessment score remained at 3.2, which tops two of the three Texas schools ranked above Abilene Christian on the Best Colleges list.
Besides the peer assessment survey, the Best Colleges rankings are determined by statistics in areas such as graduation rate, freshmen retention rate, faculty-student ratio, entrance exam scores and alumni giving.
ACU also ranked 12th in its region on the "Great Schools, Great Prices" list. The formula USNWR uses relates to a school's academic quality by its 2009 ranking, to the 2007-08 academic year net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.
"Our new mobile learning initiative continues to make news around the world. It is a great example of the distinctive and innovative programs we seek to develop in response to ACU's 21st Century Vision," said Money. "We want to be known as the premier university for the education of Christ-centered global leaders, and it pleases me to see others noticing our success stories."
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