Posted: Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The University of Evansville has been ranked 51st out of 671 universities in the Master’s Universities category of the 2014 Washington Monthly College Rankings for impact on the lives of its students and the public good. UE was also ranked in Washington Monthly’s Best Bang for the Buck in the Master’s category, placing 101st out of 176 schools. The Best Bang for the Buck rankings are based on the economic value that students receive per dollar.

Washington Monthly believes its ranking system is different in that it “aims to identify institutions that are acting on behalf of the true public interest.” The magazine scored the nation’s colleges and universities in: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and students who go on to earn PhDs), and service (teaching and encouraging students to give back).

Factors considered in the rankings include: number of students receiving Pell Grants, predicted versus actual graduation rates, research expenditures, number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps and the ROTC, and hours of community service students performed.

UE President Thomas A. Kazee notes that while rankings can only capture a part of an overall college experience, the criteria used by Washington Monthly is especially meaningful to the University of Evansville.

“Our mission at UE,” explains Kazee, “is to provide our students with a meaningful and transformational educational experience. That includes teaching the importance of social responsibility. At the University of Evansville, we are dedicated to making an impact in our community and in the world.”

In the introduction to this year’s rankings, Washington Monthly’s editors explain that their “rankings have always rejected the idea that expense, luxury, and exclusivity should be held up as the highest values for colleges and students to aspire to. Instead, we ask a different question: What are colleges doing for the country?”

Washington Monthly is a bimonthly magazine based in Washington, D.C., that covers politics, government, culture, and the media. The complete 2014 College Rankings and methodology are available online.

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