DownloadSept. 1, 2008 issue
Goshen, Bethel make new ‘best colleges’ list
By Celeste Kennel-Shank Mennonite Weekly ReviewWhen Forbes.com released its first ranking of America’s Best Colleges in mid-August, two Mennonite schools were among the 569 chosen.
Goshen (Ind.) College placed 159th, and Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., was 303rd.
Meanwhile, U.S News & World Report released its 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” Aug. 20, listing all the four-year Mennonite colleges in various categories. The magazine kept Goshen in its third tier of liberal arts colleges, while moving Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., up to the third tier. Bethel went from the third tier to the fourth.
Bluffton (Ohio) University and Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., were included among the best baccalaureate colleges in the Midwest and Fresno (Calif.) Pacific University was ranked among best master’s universities in the West.
Carlos Romero, executive director of Mennonite Education Agency of Mennonite Church USA, said it can be difficult to determine the usefulness of rankings since much of the information is based on self-reporting, and schools may be using different measurements.
“You’re never quite sure whether you’re comparing apples with apples,” Romero said.
He also noted that the rankings don’t reflect an institution’s core values and mission.
“I didn’t see any strong connection between what the mission is of an institution and what its effectiveness is in the end,” Romero said. “All of our schools are doing an excellent job of making that connection.”
The Forbes.com rating places Goshen seventh among 16 Indiana schools ranked — ahead of Butler, Ball State and Purdue.
Bethel is second of three Kansas schools — close to the University of Kansas (280th) and above Kansas State University (504th).
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