Publications like Forbes and US News World Report have acknowledged Pacific University, making it more of a household name across America.
“We are respected by other institutions and it helps our folks who are close or part of the university appreciate Pacific more,” said Director of Media Relations Joe Lang. “It helps tell the story of Pacific. There’s a sense of pride for those who invest to know we stack up pretty good.”
Forbes ranked Pacific 198 of 650 top colleges of 2013. Their ranking is based on data from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. Forbes believes this list includes the schools that are focused on “output” instead of “input.” Stanford University was ranked in the No. 1 spot.
US News listed Pacific and Los Angeles based Mount St. Mary’s College at 20th on their Regional University West Ranking. To determine this ranking, US News uses a formula that takes into account academic quality, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification and data from the U.S. Department of Education. Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas was ranked first in the west region. US News also listed Pacific in the 11th spot in the Best Value Schools category in the west region.
Lang said that while they haven’t been ranked as high before, the fact that Pacific has been listed in US News and Forbes for years is a testament to the strength of Pacific.
“We are pleased to be considered a valuable university by US News,” said Lang. “We appreciate all the publications.”
Pacific is required to submit data to the U.S. Department of Education and from that information these rankings are determined.
“Pacific, like most universities, doesn’t actively promote themselves for these rankings,” said Lang.
He said these rankings and others give each university a snapshot of how higher education is doing across the nation.
“Alumni pay attention too,” said Lang.
The Washington Monthly Magazine also ranked Pacific. The non-profit magazine listed Pacific 13th in a master’s university category. Washington Monthly rates schools based on the university’s contribution to the public good. This is determined by social mobility, or recruiting and graduating low-income students, research in the form of PhDs and giving back to the community.
“Pacific is very proud of this ranking,” said Lang of the magazine’s decision. “It aligns with Pacific’s mission. It helps us evaluate what we are doing with academic progress.”
Leave a Reply