U.S. News & World Report Ranks Shorter among best Southern Colleges for the seventh consecutive year

The U.S. News & World Report 2008 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings place Shorter College among the South’s top baccalaureate colleges. This marks the seventh consecutive year Shorter has made the list. The rankings were posted on the magazine’s Web site, www.usnews.com, on Friday, Aug. 17.

Shorter College is ranked at No. 22 on the list of baccalaureate colleges, a new category that includes institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs. The liberal arts account for fewer than half of their bachelor’s degrees, and they also offer programs in professional fields such as business and education. Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas topped the category.

“It is gratifying that Shorter College is again ranked among the top-tier schools in the South,” said Dr. Harold E. Newman, president. “The past year has brought positive growth to Shorter College in the form of increased enrollment, the apartment building construction, and the development of our strategic plan for the future. This fall, we are looking for another record enrollment in our programs for traditional students, and our Professional Studies programs have an all-time high enrollment. We are encouraged that the rankings are one indicator that we are accomplishing this growth in an intelligent manner.”

Fall semester classes begin Thursday, Aug. 23. In the fall of 2006, Shorter’s traditional student enrollment topped 1,040 for the first time. The college also enrolls more than 1,800 students in its Professional Studies division, which offers classes for working adults in Rome, North Atlanta, Lawrenceville and Riverdale.

The U.S. News & World Report rankings were first published in 1985 and have been done annually since 1987. They are based on the results of surveys of four-year colleges and universities across the nation. Rankings of quality are based on academic reputation, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving rate.

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