CSB and SJU recognized as top institutions nationally

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August 26, 2010

The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John's University (SJU) have been recognized nationally by their peers in the recently released U.S. News and World Report college rankings. Both CSB and SJU were again ranked among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the country.

The magazine listed CSB and SJU for their strong commitment to teaching and the schools' study abroad program. For the second year in a row, CSB was named an "Up-and-Coming" institution.

The magazine asked school leaders - college presidents, provosts and admission deans - to identify which of their peers do the best job of teaching undergraduate students. A total of 86 colleges were singled out, with CSB tied for 25th and SJU tied for 34th among 39 schools listed in the liberal arts category (institutions are measured against their peers only).

The U.S. News rankings also included a list of schools with outstanding academic programs that are commonly linked to student success. Eight academic programs were selected by education experts as key to providing undergraduate students with the best possible experience.

Both CSB and SJU were cited with 37 other institutions for the quality of their study abroad program (there were no numerical ratings for this category). College presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admissions could nominate up to 10 institutions in each of the eight categories.

CSB was ranked third among national liberal arts colleges in the "Up-and-Coming" category. College administrators were asked in spring 2010 to nominate institutions that "they think have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities."   Only 11 liberal arts colleges were cited as "Up-and-Coming."

In the U.S. News overall ranking in the liberal arts colleges group, SJU was ranked 62nd (68th in 2009) and CSB was ranked 81st (80th in 2009). The rankings include 266 liberal arts colleges that emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the arts and sciences.