Wagner College was ranked among the top 11 universities in the nation for the kind of academic programs believed to lead to student success, according to the new U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges guide.
Those eight high-value programs were called “Programs to Look For.”
Wagner College was also ranked, overall, in the top 20 percent (tied for number 35) among northern regional universities. This is the 18th year in a row in which Wagner College has appeared among the Top 35 schools in its category.
More on ‘Programs to Look For’
A total of 115 colleges or universities across the nation were recognized by the U.S. News survey this year for one or more of their eight “Programs to Look For.” Those programs, first identified in 2003 in collaboration with the Association of American Colleges & Universities, are “academic programs that are believed to lead to student success,” according to U.S. News editors.
Wagner College was recognized on four U.S. News “Programs to Look For” lists: First-Year Experience, Internships, Learning Communities and Service Learning.
The only institutions with more “Programs to Look For” this year were Duke, Stanford, the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and Elon.
Among the other schools recognized with four enriched programs, like Wagner College, were the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Yale University.
“These four program areas are fundamental components of our signature curriculum, the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts,” said Wagner College President Richard Guarasci. “Since 1998, the Wagner Plan has combined a very strong first-year program with multiple service-learning experiences and three learning communities placed at the beginning, middle and end of the Wagner student’s undergraduate career. And every student participates in an internship program as part of their Senior LC.”
“Wagner College’s four enriched offerings are what the American Association of Colleges & Universities calls ‘high-impact practices’ — those academic components that significantly contribute to a high-quality education,” added Lily McNair, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wagner College. “In essence, the Wagner Plan embodies such high-impact practices.”
“It’s also worth noting that the ‘Programs to Look For’ lists are all based on nationwide evaluations — rather than regional rankings — submitted by college presidents, provosts and deans of admission,” said Angelo Araimo, Wagner’s senior vice president for planning and enrollment.