Forbes.com names Huntington one of ‘America’s Best’

Huntington, Ind.-Forbes.com has named Huntington University one of America's Best Colleges.

At No. 65 on the national list, Huntington was third among Indiana public and private colleges and universities. Huntington was the top-ranked member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, an international association of Christ-centered schools.

"We are very pleased that Forbes has chosen to list Huntington University among the top schools in the country," said Dr. G. Blair Dowden, president. "We realize that many magazines' college rankings are subject to some controversy and debate, but we appreciate Forbes' recognition of Huntington's small class sizes, quality instruction, strong faculty-student relationships and the impact of our alumni around the world."

This is Forbes.com's first ranking of America's Best Colleges. Dr. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University, and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, compiled the data for the rankings. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are more than 4,000 college campuses in the U.S. Forbes.com ranked only the top 15 percent or so of all undergraduate institutions "based on the quality of the education they provide, and how much their students achieve."

Half of the ranking is based equally on three factors: the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed; the percentage of students graduating in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards such as Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

Forbes.com based 25 percent of the rankings on 7 million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25 percent depends on how many of the school's alumni, adjusted for enrollment, are listed among the notable people in "Who's Who in America."

Data collected by Forbes is corroborated by data from the Student Satisfaction Inventory and the National Survey of Student Engagement. Data from the SSI, for example, shows that students rank Huntington University above the mean on a large battery of questions ranging from classroom instruction to campus safety.

The Forbes.com data showed that students strongly prefer smaller schools to large ones. The median undergraduate enrollment in the top-50-ranked schools is just 2,285, and only one of the top 50 enrolls more than 10,000 undergraduate students.

Unlike some other lists, Forbes.com does not subdivide its rankings into categories such as "National Research Institution" or "Liberal Arts Colleges."

On its 2008 list, U.S.News & World Report ranked Huntington as seventh among the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest region and as No. 5 in the Best Values category for Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest. Recently, the Princeton Review named Huntington as one of the best colleges in the Midwest.

For a complete list of Forbes.com rankings, log on to www.forbes.com/lists/2008/94/opinions_college08_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank.html.

Forbes.com Rankings of Indiana Colleges and Universities

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