Centre News

Forbes magazine has once again ranked Centre the No. 1 college
or university in the South.

The online article quotes Centre student Paul Adams, who says,
“My time at Centre has been highlighted by the professors and
mentors who have guided me and the unique experiences I’ve
taken part in.” At Centre, 98 percent of professors hold the highest
degrees in their field.

Forbes magazine has just ranked Centre College the best among all colleges and universities in the South—for the second year in a row.

“If you’re accepted to be a student at the best college in the South,” the Forbes online article begins, “you are guaranteed an internship, the opportunity to study abroad and graduation within four years—or the school will pay for an additional year of tuition-free study.”

(Here, Forbes is referring to the Centre Commitment, which does indeed guarantee all students who meet the College’s academic and social expectations the three offerings listed above.)

The articles continues: “The benefits of attending the best college in the South don’t even stop when you receive your diploma. Within 10 months of graduation, 98 percent of the college’s students, on average, are employed or engaged in advanced study. Upon graduating you become part of the nation’s most loyal and generous group of alumni.”

The story explains that 98 percent of Centre’s professors hold the highest degrees in their field and shares the facts that in the past 10 years alone, Centre produced 17 Fulbright scholars, five Goldwater scholars, 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,” the article concludes.

The South, according to Forbes, includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Centre is the only Kentucky school to appear on this year’s list.

Following Centre on the list of top educational institutions in the South are Rice University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Washington and Lee, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, Rhodes College, and Davidson College.

Centre president John Roush says that “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. 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. 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.”

This August, Forbes named Centre No. 24 among all U.S. colleges and universities. These rankings included 610 schools from around the country. Centre’s No. 24 spot was the highest ranking of any Kentucky institution, with the next closest-ranked school appearing at No. 210 on the overall list. (For a complete list of the 2010 Forbes-ranked Kentucky schools, click here.)

The most recent ranking is one of many that Centre has received. Consumers Digest ranks 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). Centre is also named an outstanding educational institution by 2011 Princeton Review, and the College No. 31 on the list of top liberal arts colleges by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. For a complete list of Centre rankings, click here.

To see the complete Forbes list of top colleges and universities in the South, click here.