Baruch continues to rise in rankings

Baruch's academic reputation continues to flourish as it is recognized among the top companies in the nation.

According to campus news, for the third consecutive year, Baruch has been named one of the best colleges in America, making this year's Best 373 under the publication's college guide.

"This is excellent news, and it is nice to be part of a place that is moving along," said Provost James McCarthy. "This is incredibly valuable publicity for Baruch as well."

According to John Choonoo, director of the Office of Institutional Research and Program Assessment, the Princeton Review rankings features categories, such as Academics/Administration, Demographics, Town Life, School by Type, Politics, Quality of Life, and Social Scene.

The company collects and conducts random student surveys/interviews, and information about ranking criteria. He also reported that colleges appearing in these types of publications are not ranked, but rather selected on institutional data.

Based on the information from Princeton Review's 373 Best Colleges guidebook, surveys illustrate that the college has great computer facilities, different types of student interaction, popular student publication, very little drug use and diversity.

In regards to academics, life on campus and the student body, the guidebook also reported from the student survey that "Baruch connections and internships provide ‘a gateway to the world of finance; the hard-working student body could well be the most diverse university in the country; but the residential area does not offer a lot of things to do."

"We are highly ranked in terms of academic quality and we did pretty well among the different categories," said Choonoo.

According to the a press release from the news office, Baruch also climbed the ranks in U.S. News & World Report, standing at 25 on the magazine's 2011 Best Regional Universities in the North.

Choonoo reported that the publication ranks using their "Carnegie" classification, and includes peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving as specific categories. The college moved to 19 on Forbes list, a great increase from last year's rank of 35.

"Companies use different criteria in ranking, and come up with different approaches to rank colleges," said Choonoo.

The release also reports that college was noted for its academic rigor but also for its low instance of alcohol use, which is a characteristic "in keeping with the hardworking, committed students the college is know for having."

McCarthy stated, "All of the major organizations come to the same conclusion: however we are looked at people see that we are better ad our students and faculty are recognized for it. The common denominator is that we are widely viewed and that is an important part to take away."