August 19, 2005 — The latest issue of U.S. News & World Report/America’s Best Colleges shows the University of Utah’s engineering program is continuing to climb in its annual rankings. The undergraduate program is ranked 57th nationally this year for public schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. That’s a jump of three spots from the year before and 10 spots over the last two years.
The college guide issue is scheduled for the August 29 edition of U.S. News & World Report, which hits newsstands on Monday, August 22. The U ranks in the top tier of the list of Best National Universities coming in at number 120.
Dean Richard B. Brown attributes the national recognition of the engineering program in part to Utah’s engineering initiative. “During the past two years we have worked very hard to increase national recognition of the quality of our programs. We have also made a significant investment in new faculty, facilities and infrastructure, thanks in part, to the resources appropriated through Utah’s engineering initiative. The Warnock Engineering Building, scheduled for completion next fall, is symbolic of an exciting new era for Utah engineering,” said Dean Brown.
The guide also contains good news for U students worried about how to pay for college. U.S. News ranks the U seventh nationally among schools whose graduates have the least amount of debt. The average student leaves the University after completing all course work owing $11,496.
Service Learning continues to be a bright spot for the U’s Lowell Bennion Community Service Center. The U was one of just 19 schools mentioned by U.S. News & World Report in that category. “We are very pleased to receive this national recognition. Certainly this honor is due to a combination of factors such as the institutional support we receive and the fine work and dedication of all of our partners,” said Director Marshall Welch. “We are fortunate to have faculty who value service-learning as a teaching and learning tool as well as community agencies that provide real-world learning opportunities to our students.” Service Learning programs are described by the magazine as those that place emphasis on volunteering in the community as an instructional strategy-and a requirement of a student’s coursework.
For a complete listing of the U.S. News & World Report rankings of America’s Best Colleges visit http://www.usnews.com.