RELEASED: Nov. 26, 2003

DANVILLE, KY—NSSE (pronounced "Nessie") is a monster in more ways than one.

Just as Scotland's famous Loch Ness Monster is an elusive creature, some in the media and general public have a difficult time pinpointing the significance of NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) findings.

Because the survey isn't a ranking in the spirit of "who's-number-one" American competitiveness, it's not easy to create a NSSE headline or sound bite. But the results of NSSE reveal dramatic differences between effective colleges and those that are less effective.

Centre is one of the most successful colleges in the country in educating and enriching the lives of its students according to the 2003 NSSE findings.

Since NSSE began in 2000, Centre has improved its standing in the survey each year even as more schools participate. Six-hundred and forty-nine schools took part in the recently released 2003 survey, up from 276 in 2000.

Centre ranked above the 90th percentile in all of the five benchmark categories of effective educational practice for seniors in the 2003 report, and in four of the five for first-year students.

The five areas of NSSE "engagement" criteria measure level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student interactions with faculty, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

For instance, Centre is in the 97th percentile in the area of active and collaborative learning for seniors among national institutions in the survey.

"We're exceeding the goals that NSSE has set for us as a college," said John C. Ward, dean of Centre College. "High school students and their families should use NSSE measures to see which colleges do the best job in helping students learn. Centre's results in the survey are one more clear indication that Centre students are intensely and personally challenged to achieve their educational goals."

The survey asks college freshmen and seniors to assess how they spend their time with questions such as: How many hours do you study? How often do you talk to faculty members or students with different political beliefs? What are some of your outside-the-classroom activities? The survey measures how well colleges and universities engage their students in the essential learning experiences of higher education.

"NSSE isn't a prehistoric monster lurking in murky waters, rather, it's a very helpful survey designed to identify the colleges that do their best work," Ward said.

For more on NSSE, go to http://www.indiana.edu/~nsse/.

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