The Princeton Review Ranks Austin College Faculty 14th in Academic Excellence

Online, August 5, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Austin College, a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas, is one of the country's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The 2011 edition of the annual college guide "The Best 373 Colleges" ranked the Austin College faculty 14th for academic excellence in the "Professors Get High Marks" category.

Austin College also was named one of the Best Western Colleges overall and was the 13th "Easiest Campus to Get Around."

"As we prepare to begin the 2010-2011 school year, we want to congratulate our faculty on its superior ranking among some of the brightest scholars in the country," said Dr. Marjorie Hass, president of Austin College. "We pride ourselves on the collaboration of our faculty and students, and appreciate our professors for changing their students' lives through innovative and experiential teaching."

Only about 15 percent of America's 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are profiled in the book, which is The Princeton Review's flagship college guide. It includes detailed profiles of the colleges with scores in eight categories, plus top-20 rankings in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review's surveys of students at each college.

Princeton Review senior vice president Robert Franek said, "We commend Austin College for its outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our selection of schools for the book. Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools and the opinions of our staff and our 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board."

The Princeton Review publication includes a two-page entry for each college that incorporates quotations from students. Of Austin College, current students said, "Academics entail 'a well-rounded and difficult curriculum that really gives students bang for their buck,' combined with 'tough classes, hard work and great people.'"

A student also said, "Though small, Austin College is large enough to 'host a regular buffet of savant-level geniuses, artistic hippie types and driven athletes.'" Student commentators also noted Austin College's commitment to service and religious diversity.

The Princeton Review guidebook does not rank the colleges academically or from 1 to 373 in any category. Instead, it reports 62 lists of "top 20" colleges in various categories. The lists are based entirely on The Princeton Review's survey of 122,000 students (about 325 per campus on average). The 80-question survey asked students to rate their own schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences.

In a "Survey Says" sidebar in the book's profile on Austin College, The Princeton Review lists topics about which students were most in agreement. Comments include "students are happy," "career services are great," "school is well run," "students are friendly," "different types of students interact," "campus feels safe" and "low cost of living."