Centre News

Forbes magazine has just named Centre the best among all
colleges and universities in the South. In August 2009,
the magazine ranked Centre College No. 14 among all U.S. colleges
and universities.

The Forbes article praises Centre for its small student-faculty
ratio, which is 11 to one for the current school year. "Centre
College's small size is often credited as a factor in its success,"
Forbes says, "since teaches can more easily interact directly
with students."

Forbes magazine has just named Centre College the best among all colleges and universities in the South.

"In the heart of Kentucky," the article states, "there's a school that outperforms Ivies, boasts some of the most fiercely loyal alumni in the world, and guarantees graduation within four years—or it will pay for an additional year of tuition-free study."

(The latter item refers to the Centre Commitment, which also guarantees students an internship and study abroad experience—and a passport if any incoming first-year student does not have one.)

Forbes goes on to describe Centre as a school of 1,215 undergraduate students and more than 100 faculty members, 98% of whom hold the highest degrees in their fields.

This small student-faculty ratio (11 to one for the 2009-2010 school year) is something Forbes praises.

"Centre College's small size is often credited as a factor in its success," the article says, "since teachers can more easily interact directly with students."

In addition, the article mentions how "in the last decade alone, Centre produced 17 Fulbright Scholars, five Goldwater Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar [actually, two Rhodes Scholars] and a Truman Scholar. Its alumni include two U.S. vice presidents, a chief justice of the United States, 13 U.S. senators, and 43 U.S. representatives."

"This designation of Centre as the best among all colleges and universities in the South is only the latest in a series of accolades that have begun to come our way regularly in recent years," says Centre President John Roush. "As my colleagues and friends know, I don't take any of these rankings as gospel, but there is a consistency in this recognition that is hard to ignore."

He adds that "whether the source is U.S. News, Princeton Review, Consumers Digest, the National Survey of Student Engagement or any number of others, there is agreement that Centre provides a personal, transformative educational experience for young men and women that is among the best the nation has to offer. And this—as I watch it occur daily—I firmly believe to be true."

Other colleges and universities on the Forbes list include Washington and Lee University, Rice University, Emory University, the United States Naval Academy, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Last August, Forbes named Centre No. 14 among all U.S. colleges and universities (after ranking the College 13th in 2008).

"We cut that list according to regional divisions used by the U.S. Census Bureau" to determine the best college in the South, Forbes says. "That means schools in the South are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia."

Because the number of organizations that rank colleges and universities is continually growing, CBS MoneyWatch.com rated the rankers at the end of 2009. On their five-star scale, only Forbes magazine’s America’s Best Colleges 2009—the list used to select the best colleges in the South—pulled a five-star rating.

"Forbes' self-declared aim is to size up 600 colleges 'based on the quality of the education they provide, the experience of the students and how much they achieve," the MoneyWatch article stated. "Forbes actually attempts to measure the quality of the education students receive (imagine that!)."

The most recent ranking is one of many that Centre has received. Consumers Digest continues to rank Centre the No. 1 educational value in the nation, and U.S. News consistently ranks Centre among the top-50 schools in the nation (Centre is the only Kentucky institution in this U.S. News top-50 ranking). Earlier this month, Centre was named an outstanding educational institution by The Princeton Review, and the College is the only Kentucky institution to be named a top-30 value among liberal arts colleges by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

For the complete list of Forbes's best colleges in the South, click here.