GC&SU named 18th in the South

U.S. News and World Reports ranked Georgia College & State University the 18th best public university in the South in the University-Master’s category last week in its America’s Best Colleges issue for 2005.

GC&SU was second in Georgia public institutions only preceded by North Georgia College & State University. The category includes universities that offer a broad range of undergraduate degrees and varied master’s programs.

Additionally, GC&SU’s reputation received a score of 3.1 out of 5. This places the school in the top third of the universities in the category.

The weighted ranking formula gives the most value to the peer assessment opinions from top academic presidents, provosts, deans of admissions and other university officials.

“I am particularly pleased by our peer assessment score, which shows that higher education leaders are recognizing what our students already know: that Georgia College is a terrific place to get a high-quality liberal arts education,” President Dorothy Leland said in response to the ranking.

Leland said the university is beginning to concentrate on retaining student from year to year. According to the U.S. News article, seventy-five percent of GC&SU freshmen return for their sophomore year and the newest freshman class is the largest and most qualified the school has ever admitted.

“The excellent ranking Georgia College received reassures me that I am getting a quality education and have a faculty that truly cares about its students,” said junior business major Ashley Foster.

GC&SU’s 15 to 1 student-faculty ratio places it in the top half of institutions in the southern university category.

Director of University Communications Mitch Clarke is excited about the ranking.

“It’s wonderful news for everyone at GC&SU, because it’s an acknowledgement of the dedication and commitment that the faculty and staff here have,” he said.

Clark also said the school is only going to progress in years to come.

“We continue to make strides toward making GC&SU a top-flight public liberal arts university, and the ranking is proof we’re on the right path.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 3 2004. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry