For Immediate Release — Friday, August 22, 2008 
Contact:
David Irwin
Media Relations Officer
(585) 245-5516
irwin@geneseo.edu

U.S. News & World Report Names SUNY Geneseo Among 70 Schools in the Country Making the Most Promising and Innovative Changes

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In General Rankings, College Again Places No. 2 in the North

GENESEO, N. Y. – The State University of New York at Geneseo is on a new list included in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s 2009 rankings of the country’s top colleges and universities. 

The college is one of 70 in the nation on the magazine’s list of “Up-and-Coming Schools,” singled out for “promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities.”  The “Up-and-Coming” category places Geneseo tied for seventh on the list of “Universities—Master’s” for the Northern Region.

In the general rankings, the college is again ranked second among the “Top Public Universities—Master’s” list for the Northern Region and 11th among the “Best Universities—Master’s” list for the same region.   The college’s position in the general rankings is identical to last year’s rankings.

“Being on the magazine’s new ‘Up-and-Coming’ list is an indicator of the great strides Geneseo continues to make in advancing our mission,” says Christopher C. Dahl, president of SUNY Geneseo. “Our peers are recognizing Geneseo’s strong academic foundation and are increasingly aware that the college offers an outstanding liberal arts education in a public setting.  These results corroborate other quantitative and qualitative data that surface frequently about a Geneseo education."

The “Up-and-Coming” rankings are based on data gathered from a peer assessment survey in spring 2008. All of this year’s rankings will be published Aug. 22 online at www.usnews.com and in the Sept. 1-8 edition of U.S. News & World Report, which will be on newsstands Aug. 25.

U.S. News & World Report gathers a wide range of data to develop its annual rankings.  The magazine relies on generally accepted indicators of academic excellence in such categories as peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, faculty resources and alumni giving rate.

“The consistency of Geneseo’s position in the rankings over the years is a strong testament to the college’s academic strength,” says Bill Caren, associate vice president for enrollment services at Geneseo.  “Even though we advise caution in placing too much emphasis on college rankings, we know students and parents consult them and we are delighted to make such a strong showing every year.”

Geneseo will have 1,050 entering freshmen when classes start Monday (Aug. 25).  The students were admitted from an applicant pool of 10,589.  The mean combined SAT score for entering students is 1326 (critical reading + math), an increase from last year’s average of 1313.  Both the mean combined ACT score and mean high school average remain steady from last year at 29 and 93, respectively.

“We have a superb and very loyal faculty who are dedicated to our students and this reflects in these rankings,” says Geneseo Provost Kate Conway-Turner.  “The student experience here is second to none with the wide variety of available opportunities.   Geneseo’s stock will only continue to rise.”