Synod schools make U.S. News ‘best’ regional lists

Seven LCMS colleges and universities made the 2015 “Best Colleges” issue of U.S. News & World Report.

Students and parents congregate for lunch at The Commons at Concordia College—New York July 19 in Bronxville, N.Y. The LCMS college is ranked No. 31 among the top regional colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

All of those schools appeared in one of the online magazine’s listings of top regional universities or colleges. The magazine divides universities and colleges into four different regions: West, Midwest, North and South.

The rankings were announced in September and can be found here.

“The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is blessed to have a strong system of colleges and universities across the country,” said the Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe, president of the Concordia University System (CUC). “The Concordia University System is consistently marked for its excellence in education. We rejoice in the honor of having several of the CUS schools recognized for their excellence this year.

“Strong Lutheran identity and excellence in higher education set apart these institutions as among the best institutions of higher education in the United States.”

The following CUS schools are among the top regional universities in the Midwest:

Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward, Neb., ranked No. 44;

Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., No. 61;

Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., No. 77; and

Concordia University, St. Paul, St. Paul, Minn., No. 106

These schools are among the top regional universities in the West:

Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., No. 51, and

Concordia University Portland, Portland, Ore., No. 80.

And, ranked among the top regional colleges in the North was:

Concordia College—New York, Bronxville, N.Y., No. 31.

To rank colleges and universities, U.S. News places schools into categories based on their mission and, in some cases, their location. It then ranks the schools by gathering data on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence, such as graduation rates, faculty information and admissions data. The ranking formula also considers “academic reputation,” which is determined by a peer assessment from top academic leaders at colleges and high-school counselors.

Colleges are then ranked based on their composite weighted score. The magazine publishes the numerical rank of roughly the top three-fourths of schools in each category. The remaining lowest-ranked schools in each category are placed into the second tier based on their overall score. Schools in the second tier are labeled “Rank Not Published” and listed alphabetically.

Data for the 2015 rankings were gathered in the spring and summer of 2014.

To learn more about the Concordia University System, visit lcms.org/cus.

Posted Sept. 25, 2014