From left, Lee University students Emily Iannarone, Cathyana Marcel, Matthew Cook, Karen Chambless and Ashley Sederquist.
photo by Hannah Morgan
Lee University has once again been ranked in the “top tier” in the 2015 “Best Colleges” edition of U.S. News & World Report. The rankings were announced in a special issue on Tuesday.
Even better news for Lee was the school’s ranking in the 2015 “Up-and-Comers” list. The list is composed of 47 institutions nationwide which “have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities.” This is Lee’s third time to win this honor within the last 10 years.
Lee University was also included as one of the nation’s top study-abroad universities in USN&WR’s list of “Programs to Look For” in the “Study Abroad” category. Schools on this list have “outstanding examples” of opportunities for undergraduates to do international travel. Lee’s study-abroad program is called “Global Perspectives;” over 500 students each year travel to 30 countries with other Lee students.
Dr. Paul Conn responded to this year USN&WR rankings: “This ranking is the one which gets the most attention across the nation, so it’s good to be recognized as an institution of excellence. To be listed as one of America’s top fifty ‘up and coming’ institutions is really special. I think it shows that Lee is becoming better and better known for our high quality.”
In the rankings, Lee is classified as “regional university” in the South, along with other nearby schools such as UT-Chattanooga. Of the schools in this category, 620 universities were selected and ranked in four regions: North, South, Midwest, and West. These schools are defined as offering a full range of undergrad programs, some master’s programs, but few if any doctoral programs.
The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings are now in their 30th year, including 1,395 colleges and universities nationwide for this issue. For more information about the rankings, visit http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges.