FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 22, 2008
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

MUW ranked a top Southern public master’s university fifth year in a
row

COLUMBUS, Miss. - For the fifth year in a row, Mississippi University
for Women has been ranked a top Southern public master’s university by
U.S.News & World Report.

MUW was ranked 12th among Southern public master’s universities in
the 2009 edition as well as No. 33 in the Best Universities Master’s
by region category. Other top Southern public master’s universities
were James Madison University and The Citadel, and MUW was the only
college from Mississippi in this category.

“We are pleased to learn of the continuation of this honor since it
stresses the quality education we are providing for our students,”
said MUW President Claudia A. Limbert. “We strive to care as much
about our students’ education as they do.”

Indicators used to capture academic quality include: assessment by
administrators at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty
resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and
(for national universities and liberal arts colleges) graduation rate
performance, the difference between the proportion of students expected
to graduate and the proportion who actually do.

Highlights of the college rankings will be published in the Sept. 1
issue of U.S.News & World Report, available for newsstand purchase
Monday. The 2009 America's Best Colleges guidebook will be available
Tuesday.

MUW’s quality of education has consistently been reflected in other
national rankings, including being named No. 8 of the top 50 best values
for public colleges and universities by Consumers Digest magazine and 54
of the 100 best values in public colleges across America by
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.