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Centre advances in U.S. News ranking for second straight year
Kentucky's highest rated national institution
RELEASED: August 19, 2005
DANVILLE, KY—For the second consecutive year, Centre College has advanced in the U.S. News rankings, to No. 41 among liberal arts colleges, in a four-way tie with Furman, Occidental and Skidmore. Last year the College was tied for the No. 42 spot, up from No. 45 in 2003.
At No. 41, Centre is the highest nationally ranked Kentucky college or university by a wide margin.
Williams remains the No. 1 national liberal arts college, followed by Amherst, Swarthmore, and Wellesley.
Centre also advanced for the second consecutive year on the U.S. News “Great Colleges, Great Prices” list, moving up to 9th in the nation from 13th last year. Other institutions in the best-value top 10 include Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Carleton.
Long known for its extensive international study opportunities, Centre moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 in “most students studying abroad.” In addition to semester-long programs in England, France, and Mexico, the College offers exchange programs in Japan and Northern Ireland, as well as a wide variety of short-term programs to such locations as Italy, Vietnam, and Morocco. Seventy-five percent of Centre students study abroad during their time at the College.
“We’re honored to be in a leadership position for Kentucky colleges and universities in the U.S. News rankings,” said John Roush, Centre's president.
“Our expanding national recognition is only the latest in a series of extremely positive developments, including the College’s largest freshman class ever and a record-breaking enrollment for the fall, a successful fundraising campaign now well above $90 million toward a goal of $120 million, and the completion of the College Centre, a state-of-the-art complex for training of the mind and body.”
John Ward, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, concurred, “It’s always good to have our high national reputation validated by U.S. News, confirming that Centre's educational program ranks with the best in the country,” he said. “Simply put, it’s a pleasure to be highly regarded.”
Other Kentucky schools included in the “liberal arts colleges” category of the U.S. News rankings are Transylvania University (in a seven-way tie for 104th, ranked in the second tier), Georgetown College (third tier), and Lindsey Wilson (fourth tier).
In the “national universities-doctoral” category, the highest-rated Kentucky school is the University of Kentucky, which is in a 5-way tie for 120th (second tier).
For more on the U.S. News rankings, go to http://www.usnews.com/usnews/home.htm.
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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/
For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.
Communications Office
Centre College
600 W. Walnut Street
Danville, KY 40422
Public Information Coordinator: Telephone 859-238-5714