Campbell University continues to stand among the best — and most innovative — regional universities and colleges in the South, according to new rankings released today in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Colleges list.
Campbell once again ranked in the top 25 percent (30th out of 148 schools) in the 12-state South region, and was listed as the 16th “most innovative” school in the region — a new category that highlights institutions that made the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities in 2018.
The innovation rankings are the result of a survey of the nation’s college presidents, provosts and deans; the schools that received the most nominations for “making promising changes on campus” made the cut.
“Campbell’s unprecedented growth in recent years isn’t measured by new schools, new programs and new buildings alone; but by the impact our students and graduates have on the communities they live in and serve,” President J. Bradley Creed said. “Campbell’s footprint is growing, and our impact is getting noticed, as shown by our inclusion in this new category. We are honored to be recognized, and we will continue to make innovation a priority.”
The rankings
The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges methodology focuses on academic excellence, with schools evaluated on hundreds of data points and up to 15 measures of academic quality. Overall, the rankings emphasize student outcomes — such as graduation and freshman retention rates — which carry the most weight at 30 percent. Other qualities taken into account include peer assessment, faculty resources, admissions selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and graduation rate performance (the proportion of students expected to graduate and the proportion who do).
Campbell also ranks as the 20th-best college for veterans in the South, a list that recognizes schools that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees. It ranks in the top half of the region’s Best Value Schools — which takes into account academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid — and is in the top 25 percent for “best undergraduate teaching.”
The rankings work as a measure by which consumers can place “tangible value” on the college or university they’re considering or are affiliated with, said Vice President for Advancement and Senior Advisor to the President Britt Davis.
“With more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S., sorting through the ranking business can be tough and confusing,” Davis said. “We are gratified and encouraged that the evaluators at U.S. News & World Report continue to place Campbell University among the top universities in the South. Being a top 30 regional university is a pretty strong position for our growing and dynamic institution.”