August 20, 2010
By Barbara Dunlap-Berg*

A broad range of programs, a focus on community leadership and service and a diverse student body set some United Methodist colleges and universities above their peers.

Several of the denomination's 93 four-year colleges and universities earned top grades in The U.S. News and World Report's annual list of "Best Colleges" in the United States.

The magazine rated some 1,400 colleges and universities in various categories.

The nine United Methodist schools in the "National University Rankings" were Duke University, Durham, N.C.; Emory University, Atlanta; Syracuse (N.Y.) University; Boston University; Southern Methodist University, Dallas; American University, Washington, D.C.; University of Denver; Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta; and University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif. These schools, according to the report, "offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master's and doctoral degrees … (and) are committed to producing groundbreaking research."

Undergrad colleges lay groundwork

Among the "National Liberal Arts Colleges," the top five United Methodist schools were Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa; DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.; Willamette University, Salem, Ore.; Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington; and Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas. More than 40 United Methodist schools scored high marks in this category. These schools "emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study."

Winning distinction as "Great Schools at Great Prices" were five United Methodist colleges: Duke, Emory and Syracuse universities; Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C.; and University of the Pacific. "The calculation used here," the report said, "takes into account a school's academic quality … and the 2009-10 net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid."

A dozen United Methodist schools ranked as "A+ Schools for B Students." The top three United Methodist schools in the "university" category were Syracuse University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Denver. The top three United Methodist schools in the liberal arts group were Willamette University; Drew University, Madison, N.J.; and Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. Schools in this group "accept a significant number of students with non-stratospheric transcripts," the report explained.

Ten of the denomination's 11 historically black colleges and universities made the list: Claflin University, Orangeburg, S.C.; Dillard University, New Orleans; Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta; Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, N.C.; Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Huston-Tillotson University, Austin, Texas; Paine College, Augusta, Ga.; Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark.; Rust College, Holly Springs, Miss.; and Wiley College, Marshall, Texas. The 11th – Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn. – is a medical school so was not evaluated.

'Best colleges' meet student needs

And in the "Up and Coming" group were six United Methodist schools: the University of Denver, Emory University; Hendrix College, Conway, Ark.; Willamette University; Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio; and High Point (N.C.) University.

The study also listed regional rankings as well as breakdowns by business programs, engineering programs, "academic programs to look for," "best undergrad teaching" and "unranked specialty school." The full reportis available here.

Though honored as a top liberal arts college, the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash., does not generally promote the publication's rankings. "We believe the best college is the one that best meets the needs of a particular student. The ‘best' college for one student is not necessarily the best one for another," said Gayle McIntosh, school communications director.

"The true value of the U.S. News college list," she added, "is not in the colleges listed or the order in which they are listed, but in the way in which the list brings to the attention of prospective college students the vast amount of choices they have when choosing a college."

United Methodist News Service
Barbara Dunlap-Berg is internal content editor for United Methodist Communications.