Emory and Henry Listed as Top College by Forbes Magazine

Forbes Magazine has once again placed Emory & Henry College among the top colleges and universities in the country, according to its 2009 rankings announced Wednesday.

Emory & Henry ranked 102 out of 3,798 institutions nationwide and was among the top-ranked Virginia institutions on the list. It was the only college or university in its region to be among the top 600 selected for the ranking.

Forbes’ ranking was based on more than 7 million student evaluations. In addition, the magazine looked at how many of the school’s alumni, adjusted for the size of the school, are listed among notables in Who’s Who in America, and also at ratings on the Web site Ratemyprofessor.com. Their ranking method also included debt level at graduation, the percentage of students graduating in four years, and the number of students or faculty who have won nationally competitive awards.

The Forbes ranking is the only college ranking that combines all colleges and universities in the nation in one category and compares them. “This ranking is unique in that it gives prospective students a chance to see how small colleges stack up against larger universities,“ said Dirk Moore, E&H director of Public Relations.

This year marks the second consecutive year of the rankings. Last year, Emory & Henry placed 98th.

This recent ranking by Forbes is one of many recognitions given to Emory & Henry by outside observers. Emory & Henry is one of only 40 colleges and universities from across the nation listed in Loren Pope’s best-selling guide book, “Colleges That Change Lives.“ Emory & Henry has also been named by Student Horizons as one of 100 “Colleges of Distinction.“

In addition, six E&H professors have been named state or national Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Four E&H professors also have received the Outstanding Faculty Award given by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. When adjusted for size, Emory & Henry has been honored by more state and national faculty awards than any college or university in Virginia.

Other Virginia institutions among the top 150 institutions included the University of Virginia, Washington & Lee University, and the College of William and Mary. In Tennessee, Vanderbilt University and Sewanee University of the South were among the top 150.