Throughout high school, family and friends and even the random stranger at the grocery store, repeatedly ask those dreaded questions: where are you planning to go to college? Do you know what are you majoring in? For some, these answers may come easily and maybe even with a sense of pride. But for the undecided, dodging these answers becomes routine. Nonetheless, selecting the right college or university can be a daunting task full of stress and pressure.

When choosing the perfect school, a plethora of aspects come into play. For Shippensburg University student Jacob Shumway, his primary reason for choosing SU was its location.

“My family and girlfriend are in the area,” Shumway said. “So I chose Ship primarily for its location.”

For others, academics may serve as the primary factor for selecting a particular school, which may bode well for SU. In fact, SU has received academic recognition from the U.S. News & World Report in this year’s rankings. The U.S. News & World Report annually ranks the nation’s top colleges and universities and breaks them down into various categories with rankings among those. According to the rankings, SU sits tied for 93rd within the “Regional University North Ranking.”

“I’m delighted that we are ranked among the top universities in the North,” SU’s Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Roger Serr said. “Shippensburg [University] strives to be a student-centered institution, and this is a recognition of that.”

Along with faculty members, SU students are also excited about SU receiving recognition.

“It’s nice to be a part of a successful university and that everyone is working hard,” said SU student Joe Nixon. “The university is going onward and upward with these rankings as well as the new construction on campus.”

Furthermore, information obtained from SU’s news release said, “SU was tied for 27th among only public universities in the region.” SU’s press release also reveals that the John L. Grove College of Business ranks 342nd of 681 undergraduate programs with accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

According to Ronald Taylor, a professor in SU’s marketing department, these rankings are important for the university as well as prospective students.

“These rankings are great for the university and for the students,” Taylor said. “There are a number of perspective students and their parents that look at these numbers.”

In addition to the faculty members, the students are also excited about SU’s academic recognition. “I feel proud to be a member of the business program that is nationally ranked,” said SU student George “Tony” Ellis.

In addition to the U.S. News & World Report, the SU news release also says that SU has received recognition from Washington Monthly’s 2013 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings. And of the 1,572 schools, SU was ranked 109th overall and 46th of schools with programs for master’s degrees. According to SU’s news release, the Washington Monthly’s rankings consist of “the colleges in America that do the best job of helping non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.”

Although students and faculty members alike are proud that SU is receiving national recognition for its academics, many were unaware of the reports. “The university does a pretty poor job of letting the student body know what we have in terms of educational and athletic success,” said Shumway.

Nonetheless, SU continues to receive national recognition for its academics illustrating the university’s commitment to excellence.

For more information visit:

http://www.ship.edu/News/2013/09/University_earns_national,_regional_recognition/

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-north

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/bangforthebuck_all_rank.php

Share