Sept. 12, 2012
For Immediate Release
By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Campbellsville University has remained in the top regional universities in the South, according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, which were released today.
“We are very pleased to once again be named as among the top 100 regional universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report,” Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University, said.
“Campbellsville University has emerged, over the past decade, as a comprehensive and growing university with an array of academic programs at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels.
“It is very gratifying when CU is placed in the same category of such fine institutions as Belmont University, Bellarmine University, Murray State University, Western Kentucky University, and other regional institutions.
“This recognition is an important affirmation of the goals of Vision 2025 which outline strategies to move Campbellsville University forward over the next several years.”
Campbellsville University was ranked 74th in the regional universities in the South.
To sort colleges and universities into their appropriate ranking categories, U.S. News & World Report used the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education 2010 revisions to its Basic Classification.
In most cases, these category changes were the main explanation for the biggest movements in this year's Best Colleges rankings.
Regional universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs, and this is the second year Campbellsville University has been in the “regional universities” designation. The Carnegie categories are the accepted standard in higher education.
“Campbellsville University has set goals with our strategic plan and our Vision 2025 document, and they are paying off,” Carter said.
CU has been ranked in U.S. News' “America's Best Colleges” 20 consecutive years.
“We know we have innovative programs that prepare our students to be strong Christian servant leaders, and it is gratifying to see that our peers recognize our pioneering academic programs as well as our spiritual, athletic and extracurricular endeavors.”
“The student population at CU is increasingly diverse and represents a global community of learners. It is an honor to be recognized for providing students with an excellent educational experience,” Carter said.
Academic institutions are categorized by their mission and region with the gathering of data from each of 12 indicators of academic excellence. The schools are ranked against their peers, according to scores given by U.S. News & World Report.
The indicators used to capture academic quality fall into a number of categories: including assessment by administrators at peer institutions, retention of freshman students, average graduate rate, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
The indicators include input measures that reflect a school's student body, its faculty and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution does its job of educating students.
Carter said moving to a regional university status is one of the goals that was set in 1996 when Campbellsville became a university and now has been met.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.