U.S. News

September 13, 2016

Alverno College is ranked in the top four Midwest Regional Universities for its “strong commitment to teaching” in U.S. News & World Report's 2017 America's Best Colleges guidebook. In the seven-year history of this category, Alverno is the only Wisconsin college to receive this recognition in the Midwest Regional standings each year. College presidents, provosts and admissions deans were asked to “identify schools where the faculty have an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” This marks the 16th consecutive year U.S. News & World Report has recognized Alverno in its annual rankings.

Alverno is also recognized once again on the list of “Most Innovative Schools” among Midwest Regional Universities. This category, which distinguishes schools for “making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities,” was brand new last year, and this is the second time Alverno received this recognition.

"Alverno has been leading the way in curriculum development and using in-depth assessments for a long time now,” said Andrea Lee, IHM, president of Alverno College. “This recognition shines a light on our dedication to student success, and I am looking forward to seeing where we can take that success in the coming years.”

Alverno College was also recognized for “Ethnic Diversity.” Schools nominated in this category are recognized as colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from a different ethnic group than their own. The college also received high marks for “First Year Experience,” which distinguishes schools that bring small groups of students together with faculty and staff on a regular basis, whether it's through first-year seminars or other academic programs.

With these rankings, Alverno College is in the company of such prestigious schools as Princeton University, the University of Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University, Stanford University, and Yale University.

Overall, Alverno College remained in tier one in the category of Master's granting colleges and universities.

This is the 32nd edition of the U.S. News & World Report annual college rankings. The rankings are published in the September issue, in a separate college guidebook, and posted online atusnews.com. The rankings measure up to 15 academic performance indicators for each institution. Quantitative data that assess a college's performance in areas such as graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, financial resources, student selectivity and alumni giving account for the college's score. Then colleges and universities in each category are ranked against their peers based on their composite weighted scores.