USU Earns High Marks as a Top 100 Public Institution of Higher Education

As Utah State University welcomes back students this fall, the institution can add a few more bragging rights to its continually rising, national reputation. The university was named as one of the top 100 public institutions of higher education, according to the latest edition of the influential U.S. News & World Report’s university rankings, “Best Colleges 2011” released in mid-August.

USU is ranked 92nd in the nation under the best national universities category when compared against public universities only in the magazine’s annual school rankings issue. Schools in the national universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral degrees and are committed to producing groundbreaking research, according to the publication.

“I am proud of Utah State University’s placement,” said USU Provost and Executive Vice President Raymond Coward. “It is a direct reflection of our institution’s quality faculty and programs.”

While the U.S. News and World Report ranking is impressive by itself, the university has also garnered attention on several other national lists during the past few months including:

Academic Achievements:

#1 highest-ranked public university among schools with the lowest tuition in “America’s Best Colleges” (Forbes, “America’s Best Colleges,” Aug. 2010)
#1 highest-ranked public university in the West and #5 highest-ranked public university in the nation in “America’s Best College Buys” (USU places #15 overall) (Forbes, “America’s Best College Buys,” Aug. 2010)
#234 out of 610 in “America’s Best Colleges” (Forbes, “America’s Best Colleges,” Aug. 2010)
One of the country’s most environmentally responsible universities (Princeton Review, “Guide to 286 Green Colleges,” April 2010)
“Best in the West” College (Princeton Review, “2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region,” Aug. 2010)

Athletics:

3rd most efficient athletic department in the nation (Excellence in Management Cup, Texas A&M Institute for Intercollegiate Athletics, July 2010)
5th nationally and 4th among the mid-major conferences for commitment of financial resources to women’s sports (The Gender Equity Cost-Benefit Scorecard, June 2010)

The university also has reason to celebrate as it received a record $187 million in research awards during the 2010 fiscal year, a 29 percent increase over funding received in 2009. Total sponsored programs funding in 2010 was $42 million more than the 2009 figure. That is the largest increase — both dollars and percentage-wise — on record. USU also ranks second in the nation for research funding received for aerospace engineering, according to the National Science Foundation’s 2008 fiscal year report, released in July 2010.

While USU is known for its research, the university has also been recognized for its quality teachers. The university boasts a 77 percent full-time faculty instructor rate — based on headcount — of professors who teach in USU classrooms, nearly double the current national average of 43 percent, according to the American Federation of Teachers, “American Academic: The State Of the Higher Education Workforce 1997-2007,” released in June 2010.

“Utah State University is committed to offering our students an excellent higher education experience that prepares them for today’s workforce and world,” said Coward. “The variety of accolades received over the past few months reinforces that USU is top-notch research institution, with outstanding professors who provide a quality education at an affordable price.”

Writer: Maren Cartwright, maren.cartwright@usu.edu

Contact: John DeVilbiss, john.devilbiss@usu.edu