Valley City State University earned the No. 1 spot among the Top Public Regional Colleges in the Midwest in the 2012 edition of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News Media Group. This marks the 14th year in a row that VCSU has been recognized by U.S. News.
Dr. Steven Shirley, VCSU president, said, "A track record of 14 straight years on the U.S. News 'Best Colleges' list is a remarkable accomplishment in its own right, and now, to be recognized as the best public regional college in the Midwest is a milestone in VCSU's history. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters should all take great pride in earning this historic achievement at VCSU."
The U.S. News college rankings group approximately 1,400 accredited institutions in the United States based on their mission and, for some categories, by location. The institutions are then compared based on a set of 16 areas related to academic excellence. Criteria in which VCSU fared well include peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, the student-faculty ratio, and alumni giving. Areas in which VCSU improved over last year's rankings include percent of faculty who are full-time, freshmen in the top 25 percent of their high school classes and overall score.
"This Number 1 ranking validates the high-quality education and outstanding collegiate experience that VCSU offers, and it further demonstrates the successful impact of recent campus-wide initiatives," Shirley said.
The category "Regional Colleges in the Midwest" includes 97 colleges and universities across 12 states, 14 of which are public. For the last two years, VCSU has been ranked in the No. 2 position of the Top Public Regional Colleges in the Midwest. This is the first year VCSU has been ranked in the No. 1 position.
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The rankings are available at www.usnews.com/colleges , and will be published in the September issue of the U.S. News & World Report magazine.
