Lander University continues to rise in U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of schools.
Lander vaulted from #44 to #19 in the Best Regional Colleges - South category in the latest rankings, released today. The Regional Colleges category includes 334 public and private institutions.
Lander has risen 45 spots in that ranking of schools in two years.
For the second straight year, Lander came in at #4 in the Top Public Regional Colleges - South category.
U.S. News and World Report has been ranking schools for more than 30 years and considers factors such as student graduation and retention rates; assessments of the institution by counselors and peers; faculty and financial resources; student selectivity and alumni giving.
The rankings and statistics that support them aren't meant to provide high school seniors with "easy answers" in their search for the right school, according to U.S. News and World Report. Rather, they provide them with "a powerful tool in [their] quest for the best fit."
Lander was also ranked highly in Washington Monthly's annual ranking of schools, released earlier this month. Lander came in at #32 in the Best Bang for the Buck - Southeast Colleges category and was ranked #66 among the top 100 baccalaureate colleges in the country.
Dr. David Mash, Lander provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said he was "very pleased with Lander's ascent in the rankings." He added, however, that he was "not entirely surprised."
Mash attributed Lander's good showing to clear expectations from President Richard Cosentino that Lander frame its work around established best practices in higher education.
"Many people have been working very hard to align our priorities in this way, but the unified effect that we see in the rankings would not be possible apart from the supportive leadership provided by Dr. Cosentino," Mash said.
He said that "the talent and professional capacity of the faculty and staff at Lander is phenomenal, and it is gratifying to see this reflected in such a large improvement in our ranking over the last twelve months."