(Posted September 17, 2007)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College, which recently joined other liberal arts colleges who are members of the Annapolis Group in boycotting the reputational ratings portion of the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, jumped 20 places in another national rankings survey, ranking 60th in the college rankings poll created by Washington Monthly magazine. Washington Monthly\'s poll, now in its third year, emphasizes ratings based on how well the college serves as an engine of social mobility (through such criteria as percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and the percentage difference between predicted and actual graduation rates) and service by college students (such as participation in the peace Corps, ROTC and federal work-study programs) in addition to other ranking criteria. Juniata was rated 80th in last year\'s poll. Juniata remains in the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. News poll. The weekly news magazine rated Juniata College 97th in the first tier of its 2006 rankings of the best liberal arts college in the nation, according to the publication\'s issue \"America\'s Best Colleges.\" The college was 95th last year. According to guidelines established by the Carnegie Foundation and adopted by U.S. News, institutions that award at least 50 percent of their undergraduate degrees in liberal arts are defined as liberal arts schools. There are more than 200 liberal arts colleges, comprising four tiers. \"We are extremely proud of maintaining top 100 ranking in the U.S. News poll, but our high ranking in the Washington Monthly ratings is particularly exciting for us because they measure actual outcomes that have long been important to Juniata - graduation rates, careers in service, success in obtaining doctorates and medical degrees and how well we serve first-generation and low-income students who strive to better themselves,\" says Thomas Kepple, president of Juniata College. \"Our programs and reputation are being acknowledged by magazines and every major college guide.\" Juniata also is one of just 40 colleges featured in the increasingly popular college guidebook \"Colleges That Change Lives,\" by former New York Times education editor Loren Pope. Pope\'s book, which was just updated in a new edition last year, was highlighted in a recent issue of Time magazine and in the New York Times. Next year, Juniata will be featured for the first time in The \"Fiske Guide to Colleges.\" Juniata also was chosen as one of the nation\'s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review, the New York-based company known for its education, admission and test-prep services. Juniata is one of 366 institutions featured in the 2006 edition of the Princeton Review annual college guide \"The Best 366 Colleges.\" Just 15 percent of the four-year colleges in America and two Canadian colleges were chosen for the book. It has two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories. Juniata College has an enrollment of 1,460 students and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1. The college has 99 full-time faculty members. About 91 percent of the faculty have earned doctorates or hold a terminal degree in their academic field.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.