Shorter University climbs one spot in U.S. News and World Report’s ‘Great Schools, Great Prices’ list, maintains No. 17 spot in ‘Best Regional Colleges’ rankings

August 18, 2010 - The 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings hit newsstands today (Tuesday, Aug. 17) and highlights one of Rome and Floyd County’s own as a “significant value” in higher education.

Shorter University has climbed one spot in the magazine’s listing of “Great Schools, Great Prices,” which recognizes institutions that provide significant value in relation to their cost and their quality. This year, Shorter (still listed by its previous name of Shorter College) placed No. 6 in the South on the best value listing, which includes only 10 institutions selected from the regional colleges listing from the South. The No. 6 placement represents a one-place rise over last year’s No. 7 listing.

The magazine explains the listing by saying, “The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included, because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.”

In the “Best Regional College” rankings, also released today, Shorter came in No. 17, where it was tied with one other institution. This is the 10th consecutive year Shorter has been included among the best regional institutions. The latest rankings are available online at www.usnews.com. The annual best colleges rankings are based on the results of surveys of four-year colleges and universities across the nation. Rankings of quality are based on peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. The regional colleges category includes institutions that “focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts and in fields such as business, nursing, and education,” according to the magazine.

Shorter University President Dr. Harold E. Newman said the university’s administration is pleased to have Shorter recognized as a great value for students. “Shorter’s accomplishments over the past several years have been significant as we have grown substantially, expanded our programs, and transitioned to university status,” Dr. Newman said. “I am especially pleased that we have been able to accomplish this while keeping our cost of attendance and our quality at levels that earn us recognition on the Great Values listing. I believe that the high-quality education we offer in our Christ-centered environment is of great value to our students.”

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian college committed to excellence in education. Since 2003, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Shorter among the South’s best baccalaureate colleges, and the Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its lists of best value and best Southeastern college. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas as well as undergraduate degree programs for working adults, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in Leadership. General education and calculus courses are offered in an online format, and Shorter recently launched online programs that lead toward the Associate of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Master of Accountancy degrees. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.


###