Campus News
Westminster College was named one of the 50 Best American Colleges for 2008 by Forbes magazine this week. The only Missouri college or university named to the Top Fifty, Westminster was ranked 39th.
This is the first ranking ever conducted by Forbes and will be an annual list. The report ranks 569 undergraduate institutions on the quality of the education they provide and how much their students achieve.
“We are tremendously honored that a publication as prestigious as Forbes in its first ranking of American colleges and universities would recognize Westminster as one of the top schools in the country,” says Dr. George B. Forsythe, President of Westminster. “This new research emphasizes educational processes and outcomes as opposed to input measures used in other studies. Forbes has advanced the national conversation on educational quality. We have always known that what students think of their courses and instructors is important. At Westminster, we pride ourselves on excelling in these areas. This study truly stresses what we believe is important here-- that educational processes and student learning matter.”
Twenty-five percent of the ranking is based on seven million student evaluations on courses and instructors. In independent national surveys such as the National Survey of Student Engagement, Westminster students have consistently ranked their living and learning experiences at the College among the highest in the country with extremely high scores in student-faculty relationships.
Westminster student Peter Frank, class of 2009, says, “Westminster College, {with its} multinational student body and a reputable academic program, was a great match for me.”
Another twenty-five percent of the ranking depends on how many of the school’s alumni, adjusted for enrollment, are listed among the notable people in Who’s Who in America.
“Westminster has always been proud of our graduates who are committed to the Westminster mission, leading lives of success, significance, and service,” says President Forsythe. “We have many alumni who are recognized as exceptional leaders of character in their communities so it is no surprise that a significant percentage of Westminster alumni are recognized in Who’s Who in America. At Westminster, our alumni are our credentials.”
The other half of the ranking is based equally on three factors: the percentage of students graduating in four years; the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards such as Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes; and the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed.
Research for these rankings was conducted by Dr. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.
According to Forbes, the best school in the nation this year is Princeton University, followed closely by the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Swarthmore College, Williams College and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“Westminster offers an active education…a whole education, enabling students to become their very best—as scholars, leaders, as engaged citizens in a global world ,” says George Wolf, Dean of Enrollment Service at Westminster. “Westminster students get involved, try new things, meet new people, and learn and grow as never before. They engage in a full college experience—inside the classroom and out.”
Forbes is an American publishing and media company which publishes a bi-weekly national business magazine. The magazine is well known for its lists such as the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. Forbes’ list of America’s Best Colleges 2008 can be found on their web site at www.forbes.com/colleges.
“We pride ourselves at Westminster on building the people, the resources and facilities to provide the kind of global community environment where every student can pursue his or her professional and personal growth and be inspired to make a difference in the world,” says President Forsythe.
Related Links:
America’s Best Colleges 2008
- Forbes 8/13/08
Westminster fares well in ranking of top U.S. colleges - Columbia Tribune 8/19/08
Westminster ranked in top American schools
- Fulton Sun 8/17/08
Westminster College Ranks High
- KOMU-TV 8/15/08