News

(Portland, Ore.) August 18, 2010 –Portland State University (PSU) has been singled out in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 edition of America’s Best Colleges for its commitment to engagement through its service and learning programs. This is the ninth consecutive year that PSU has been recognized.

Each year U.S. News and World Report publishes a list of schools with outstanding examples of academic programs with a strong focus on student success. College presidents, chief academic officers, deans of students, and deans of admissions from over 1,400 schools nominated up to ten institutions with stellar examples of each program type. Portland State was once again noted for First-Year Experience Programs, Internships, Senior Capstones, and Service Learning.

“It’s very exciting that PortlandStateUniversity’s commitment to engaged learning has been recognized by our peers,” said Wim Wiewel, president of PortlandStateUniversity. “And to have it recognized for nine years in a row is a testament to the consistency and quality of our faculty, staff, and students. Student success is our top priority and that’s why we are hiring more advisers, providing more financial and academic support for low-income and minority students, and making orientation mandatory for all new students.”

PSU is the only University in Oregon to be recognized in this issue for outstanding programs aimed at enriching the student experience.

The U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 edition of America’s Best Colleges provides a thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of 16 areas related to academic excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, "graduation rate performance" and high school counselor ratings of colleges. For more information about America's Best Colleges, visit www.usnews.com/colleges.

About Portland State University

Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 125 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.

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