Spring Break
UWEC ranks as fifth public university in the Midwest
DJ Slater
Issue date: 9/12/05 Section: Campus News
UW-Eau Claire continues to find itself in the top tier among other public colleges across the Midwest, according to the 2006 rankings in the U.S. News and World Report magazine.
The annual rankings, released online Aug. 19 and in print Aug. 22, found Eau Claire fifth among regional public universities and 26th amid private and public institutions.
"Overall I was very pleased because we've been in the top five since 1999," Interim Chancellor Vicki Lord Larson said. "It speaks highly of our faculty and staff, but it also speaks highly of our students to see our program ranked that high."
Last year, Eau Claire weighed in at No. 3 among public universities and No. 20 when private institutions were added. Despite the slight decline, Larson said, Eau Claire is the only Wisconsin school to consistently place in the top five since the rankings began seven years ago.
"We still remain one of the best of the best," she said.
Eau Claire finished behind Truman State University (Mo.) (No. 1), University of Northern Iowa and UW-La Crosse (Tied No. 2) and Washburn University (Kan.). On the national level, Princeton and Harvard universities tied for first while Yale grabbed third place honors.
One thing that consistently has helped Eau Claire stand out among other universities is its faculty-student research program, which Larson said is comparable to the top schools in the nation.
"It brings the students and the faculty closer together," said History Department Chair Tom Miller. "As far as the students are concerned ... it gets them a leg up when it comes to getting a job. They've had experience as an undergraduate that a lot of students from around the country don't have."
Part of the experience, he said, comes from the history department's senior thesis process, which extends through three semesters, all of which assist history majors through their research projects.
Senior Jill Kartzke, a history major, said she wasn't surprised that Eau Claire's ranking had a lot to do with its faculty-student research program. She said Eau Claire's professors work hard to help students succeed and get to know them better on a personal level.
The annual rankings, released online Aug. 19 and in print Aug. 22, found Eau Claire fifth among regional public universities and 26th amid private and public institutions.
"Overall I was very pleased because we've been in the top five since 1999," Interim Chancellor Vicki Lord Larson said. "It speaks highly of our faculty and staff, but it also speaks highly of our students to see our program ranked that high."
Last year, Eau Claire weighed in at No. 3 among public universities and No. 20 when private institutions were added. Despite the slight decline, Larson said, Eau Claire is the only Wisconsin school to consistently place in the top five since the rankings began seven years ago.
"We still remain one of the best of the best," she said.
Eau Claire finished behind Truman State University (Mo.) (No. 1), University of Northern Iowa and UW-La Crosse (Tied No. 2) and Washburn University (Kan.). On the national level, Princeton and Harvard universities tied for first while Yale grabbed third place honors.
One thing that consistently has helped Eau Claire stand out among other universities is its faculty-student research program, which Larson said is comparable to the top schools in the nation.
"It brings the students and the faculty closer together," said History Department Chair Tom Miller. "As far as the students are concerned ... it gets them a leg up when it comes to getting a job. They've had experience as an undergraduate that a lot of students from around the country don't have."
Part of the experience, he said, comes from the history department's senior thesis process, which extends through three semesters, all of which assist history majors through their research projects.
Senior Jill Kartzke, a history major, said she wasn't surprised that Eau Claire's ranking had a lot to do with its faculty-student research program. She said Eau Claire's professors work hard to help students succeed and get to know them better on a personal level.