UMW Shines in National Reports

BY HANNAH MILLER

This year, UMW was placed on Parade magazine’s “College A-list” in the best small state schools category.

Other publications have given UMW high rankings recently as well.

U.S. News and World Report ranked UMW fifth among public southern institutions in its “universities-masters” category.

In their public masters universities category, Washington Monthly Magazine ranked UMW first in the Mid-Atlantic region and third in the nation. They ranked UMW 19th along with private universities that offer masters programs.

Forbes.com, an online news magazine, also named UMW on its America’s Best Buys list.

“These rankings make me feel so proud that I go to a school that is so highly thought of,” sophomore Margaret Walker said.

George Farrar, associate vice president for communications, said that UMW does exceedingly well in both regional and national rankings.

“It shows the dedication of faculty and staff in providing a world-class learning environment,” Farrar said.

Robert Barr, associate professor of political science and international affairs, thinks the attention that accompanies these rankings will be beneficial for UMW.

“It’s nice and wonderful to receive that recognition,” Barr said.

As UMW continues to be highly ranked by numerous publications, faculty and staff are excited about the increased exposure.

“Name recognition isn’t as strong as it should be,” Barr said about the current situation. “Rankings like these will boost our name recognition.”

Sophomore Nate Wine said the rankings are great for the university.
“They will give the university more publicity,” Wine said.

Farrar said these rankings will also provide good visibility across the country.

According to Farrar, the school plans to use these recent rankings in attracting potential students.

“We are creating special sheets featuring these rankings and ratings to distribute widely to as many communities [as] we can reach,” Farrar said.

As the country begins to notice UMW, these recent rankings also show how well UMW does on a national level.

Barr said it’s great that UMW is beginning to move up from regional classifications to national ones.

“It’s wonderful to be finally ranked nationally,” Barr said.

These rankings are based on how the UMW community, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, feel about their experiences at UMW, Farrar said.

According to Farrar, when top publications rank for value, they look at more than just price. They also look at success factors for alumni after they graduate from Mary Washington.  One publication cited the great value that UMW brings to students.

“The entire university, students, faculty and staff, can share in the success,” Farrar said.