By WBFO Newsroom
Buffalo, NY – Some local universities are listed as "Best Colleges" in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings released Tuesday.
SUNY Fredonia is ranked 12th among the top public universities in the North in the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges." In the larger category of both public and private institutions in the North, SUNY Fredonia tied for 52nd out of the top tier of the "Best Regional Universities," which the magazine defines as those offering bachelor's and master's degrees.
SUNY Fredonia once again performed especially well in the category of freshmen retention rates, with an impressive 86 percent of first-year students returning for their sophomore year at SUNY Fredonia.
"We are pleased to again be cited so highly among these annual rankings," said SUNY Fredonia President Dennis Hefner. "To have once again performed so competitively while the category we were in grew by 54 institutions is indeed impressive. However, the hard work of SUNY Fredonia's faculty and staff, especially while operating in such a challenging fiscal environment, has been even more impressive. I look forward to seeing how these rankings change in a few years, now that the SUNY system has a rational tuition policy in place and can better plan for long-term growth and improvement."
The University at Buffalo is ranked No. 54 among all public universities in the U.S. UB is No. 111 among both public and private universities in the county. UB moved up nine spots among all universities and four spots among public universities, compared to last's year report.
"We're very pleased that the educational opportunities and experiences we provide our students are recognized as among the best nationwide," said Harvey G. Stenger Jr., UB's interim provost. "We strive to provide our students with great teaching, access to world-class educational resources and opportunities to perform research alongside renowned scholars."
U.S. News said UB's national ranking was boosted by its academic reputation score. Academic reputation is heavily weighted in the rankings, and is based on national surveys of presidents, provosts and admissions directors, as well as high school counselors. The university also scored well in student selectivity, and student retention and graduation rates.