Friday, September 28, 2007
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore ranks in the top tier of America’s best Historically Black Colleges and Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 edition of “America’s Best Black Colleges.” The rankings were released today at www.usnews.com/blackcolleges, and are available on newsstands beginning Monday, October 1, in the magazine issue dated October 8.
“It paid to focus on academic excellence and assessment of student learning and to put effort into the entire college experience that supports students in and out of the classroom,” said UMES President Dr. Thelma B. Thompson. “I thank all at UMES who have worked to achieve this status. U.S.News and World Report has reaffirmed what we already knew about the University. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is a best kept secret no longer.”
The 2008 edition of “America’s Best Black Colleges” marks the first time U.S.News & World Report has released a stand-alone ranking of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. These schools have been — and will continue to be — ranked within their appropriate categories in U.S. News‘s annual “Best Colleges” issue, published annually in August.
The “Best Black Colleges” issue is the latest extension of U.S.News & World Report‘s highly successful and expanding “Best” series which includes “America’s Best Colleges,” “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” “America’s Best Hospitals,” “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals,” “America’s Best Health Plans,” and “America’s Best Leaders.” Additional “Best” issues are scheduled to launch later this fall.
“As historically black colleges and universities continue to play a vital role in today’s higher education landscape, we decided to create a specific ranking of them to allow apples-to-apples comparisons of these schools,” said Brian Kelly, editor of U.S.News & World Report. “This unique ranking offers for the first time an independent perspective on these institutions to help students and parents make an informed choice about one of life’s most important and expensive decisions.”
Included in this listing are any HBCUs as defined by the U.S. Department of Education that were also eligible for inclusion in U.S.News & World Report‘s 2008 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” The ranking table lists numerically the schools in the top half of the 70 eligible to be ranked — 37 schools are listed, as four tied for 34th place. Those falling into the second half are listed alphabetically.
The “America’s Best Black Colleges” methodology closely resembles that of U.S.News & World Report‘s annual “America’s Best Colleges” rankings. The schools are ranked using key industry standards for measuring higher education quality: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving rates. Earlier this year, U.S. News conducted its first-ever peer survey among only the HBCUs, asking head administrators to rate the scholarship and quality of all other black colleges they were familiar with. This method enables consumers to make an educated choice based on an unbiased, side-by-side comparison of institutions. A complete detailing of the methodology can be found online at www.usnews.com/blackcolleges.
About U.S.News & World Report
Founded in 1933, the weekly national news magazine U.S.News & World Report is devoted to investigative journalism and reporting, and to analyzing national and international affairs, politics, business, health, science, technology and social trends. Through its annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges, America’s Best Graduate Schools, America’s Best Hospitals, and America’s Best Health Plans, as well as its News You Can Use® brand, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. Available online at www.usnews.com, the U.S. News website extends that brand promise and delivers the best, most accurate information on the Web, organized in a way that is accessible and easy to use.
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Contact: Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
2008 “America’s Best Black Colleges” Rankings
1. Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)
2. Howard University (Washington, DC)
3. Hampton University (Hampton, VA)
4. Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)
5. Fisk University (Nashville, TN)
6. Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, AL)
7. Claflin University (Orangeburg, SC)
8. Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA)
9. Dillard University (New Orleans, LA)
10. Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, NC)
11. Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN)
12. Winston-Salem State University (Winston-Salem, NC)
13. Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, FL)
14. Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD)
15. Virginia State University (Petersburg, VA)
16. Bennett College (Greensboro, NC)
16. Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, NC)
16. North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC)
19. North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, NC)
20. Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, MS)
21. Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, MS)
22. Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA)
22. Oakwood College (Huntsville, AL)
22. South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, SC)
22. University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, MD)
26. Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Normal, AL)
26. Albany State University (Albany, GA)
26. Delaware State University (Dover, DE)
26. Jackson State University (Jackson, MS)
26. Kentucky State University (Frankfort, KY)
26. Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, AL)
32. Lincoln University (Lincoln University, PA)
32. Mississippi Valley State University (IttaBena, MS)
34. Bluefield State College (Bluefield, WV)
34. Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, NC)
34. Miles College (Birmingham, AL)
34. Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA)
