GRISELDA NEVAREZ
| The State Press |
The University's promising and innovative changes helped ASU rank No. 5 among 77 colleges nationwide identified as “Up-and-Coming Schools, accoring to U.S. News & World Report's annual survey.
Published Thursday, the survey also named ASU an on-the-rise institution based on its ìacademics, faculty, students, campus life, diversity and facilities. ASU dropped a spot on the list after finishing No. 4 last year.
The U.S. News & World Report also ranked ASU No. 121 on the list of Best National Universities.
The ranking was based on a peer assessment survey from top school officials and the college's performance in areas such as graduation and retention rates, faculty resources and student selectivity, according to the report.
ASU spokeswoman Sharon Keeler said ASU is proud to be recognized among its peers as innovative.
It's what we are: entrepreneurial, innovative, all part of the New American University, Keeler said. ASU is setting new standards for what higher education needs to be.
Our peers are seeing the direction in which we are moving and the changes we're making, she added.
One of the areas where ASU is making advances is in sustainability because of the University's innovative approach and its ability to break down boundaries, Keeler said.
On Friday, ASU was ranked No. 13 in the nation's top 20 schools for its effort to stop global warming and advances in sustainability by Sierra magazine.
Universities have been working in areas of sustainability for a very long time, but the way ASU is doing it is very different, Keeler said.
ASU has been breaking down boundaries so that there are economists working with life scientists and health professionals. They are looking at sustainability holistically.
U.S. News also ranked ASU among the top 100 colleges with high acceptance rates.
Keeler said ASUís 90.3 percent acceptance rate reflects the University's accessibility.
We try as best as we can, given the resources we have, to educate all the students in Arizona who are academically qualified and want to go to college,î Keeler said.
Gibran Alvarez, a computer and information systems sophomore, said ASU's high acceptance rate lowers the University's credibility but also gives students a chance to get an education.
Many students benefit from that level of acceptance rate because they can attend college and get a career instead of a dead-end job.
Nursing sophomore Maria Almanza said ASU's acceptance rate says little about the University. She said what matters the most is the success of the student.
If everyone took school seriously and graduated [at the top of the class], they could get into a good graduate school, Almanza said.
Nobody has a disadvantage to not making it to a good graduate school.
Everyone can make it. All they have to do is put some effort into it.
Forbes magazine also rated ASU No. 28 on America's Best College Buys last week for giving students “the most quality for each tuition dollar spent.”
Results were found based on the sum of several factors, including salary data, course evaluation, awards received and graduation rate.
Keeler said the results show how ASU's tuition price is worth the education students receive.
ASU is one of the best values students are going to get for their money, Keeler said.
Reach the reporter atgriselda.nevarez@asu.edu.
