MARTIN, Tenn. – The 2001 edition of American’s Best Colleges, published by
U.S. News & World Report magazine, moved the University of Tennessee at
Martin from the third to the second tier of southern regional universities.
The rankings are available on the U.S. News Web site and in the recently
published magazine edition. The annual rankings are considered by many to
be the most widely read and comprehensive guide for rating the quality of
U.S. colleges and universities.
Dr. Philip W. Conn, UT Martin chancellor, said the higher ranking is a
significant step for the university. He said UT Martin is now poised to
move into the top tier of the rankings, which is a major university goal.
“We believe UT Martin is a high-quality institution, and the latest
rankings verify the university’s efforts to provide students the best
education available,” he said. “Our goal is to gain recognition as a
top-tier regional institution, which will add even more value to a UT
Martin degree.”
The rankings take into account 11 broad categories, including academic
reputation, retention, faculty resources and student selectivity. UT
Martin showed its largest gains for the 2001 rankings in academic
reputation and in acceptance rate, a category that measures selectivity in
the admissions process.
“Fall 2000 enrollment increased, thanks in part to an outstanding freshman
class,” Conn said. “We know everyone associated with the university,
including current students, alumni and friends, share in the pride we feel
in achieving this recognition from the U.S. News rankings.”