Campus News

Washington Monthly Ranks Westminster Among Top Service-Oriented Schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 1, 2010

Westminster places 56th out of 551 U.S. Master’s Universities

SALT LAKE CITY– While some college guides measure the prestige of a college according to the opinions of higher education peers, test scores of incoming freshmen or alumni giving rates, Washington Monthly recently released its own rating system designed to measure how well colleges serve the public good. Against the criteria of social mobility, research and service, Westminster College ranks among the top 10 percent of Master’s Universities in the U.S.

“It’s refreshing for a publication to place such a strong emphasis on criterion such as ‘service’ in a rating system,” said Michael Bassis, Westminster College president. “Service to the community is one of Westminster’s college-wide learning goals. Right from the start in first year student orientation, our new freshmen get acquainted with and active in our community. And, at Westminster, civic engagement doesn’t end there. The college offers a variety of curricular and co-curricular service-learning opportunities that have allowed our students to complete more than 40,000 hours of community service each year.”

Washington Monthly’s overall score represents the combined score of our three metrics—social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). Each metric is weighted equally. Specific criteria considered include the percentage of students receiving Pell grants, graduation research expenditures; Bachelor’s to Ph.D. ranks; Peace Corps and ROTC participation; federal work-study funds spent on service; community service and participation in hours served rank; and service staff, courses and financial aid support.

In the category of National Universities, other Utah schools ranked included Brigham Young University,(135), Utah State University (131), and the University of Utah (209).

For more information on the ratings, click Washington Monthly.

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.