Tabor ranked by U.S. News for third straight year

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
Even as the latest issue of U.S. News Report hit newsstands on Monday, listing Tabor College as one of the top private institutions in the Midwest, workers from the college and general contractor Commerce Construction Services of Wichita were hustling to get the renovation work completed on the exterior steps and walkways at the “men’s quad” dormitory. Rain showers on Monday didn’t help progress, but workers persisted. Volunteers and college staff were scheduled to clean rooms in the quad on Tuesday as this year’s “Tool Time” project. This has been a summer of major campus projects, including the construction of a new parking lot near the women’s dorms and the start of the student-townhouse project along Adams Street. Fall-sport athletes are expected to be on campus today (Wednesday) with the rest of the student body coming to town this weekend. Fall semester classes begin Monday evening, Aug. 28.

Tabor College has been ranked for the third consecutive year among the top private institutions in the Midwest, according to a report compiled by U.S. News & World Report.

The report was released Monday in its “America’s Best Colleges 2007” issue.

“Tabor looks for a number of ways to ensure it is achieving its vision of being a college of choice for students seeking a life-transforming, academically excellent, globally relevant, decidedly Christian education,” said Lawrence Ressler, vice president of academics and student development.

“The U.S. News rankings are very popular, and we are pleased to be among the top-tier institutions.”

Tabor placed 51st in the rankings of “best comprehensive colleges-bachelor’s,” institutions that, according to U.S. News & World Report, “focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs-in the liberal arts, which account for fewer than half of their bachelor’s degrees, and in professional fields, such as business, nursing and education.”

Key criteria in judging schools was lowest acceptance rate, highest graduation rate and highest proportion of classes under 20 students.

Other criteria included: peer assessment; average freshman retention rate; percentage of classes of 50 students or more; student/faculty ratio; percentage of faculty who are full time; SAT/ACT scores; freshmen in the top 25 percent of their high school graduating class; and average alumni giving rate.

“I was very impressed that 53 percent of our students were in the top 25 percent (of their high school graduating class) and that our students’ SAT and ACT scores are competitive with the finest schools in the country,” Ressler said.

Committed to continuous improvement, Tabor looks to information gathered externally, such as the U.S. News rankings, according to Ressler, but it also takes seriously information gathered internally.

“Each ranking is important,” he said, “but all of the information gathered together is important. There is always room for improvement, no matter how high the rankings of U.S. News and other organizations that provide comparative data.

“We not only look at the current rating, but we are interested in the trends. The data gives us reason to continue to do that which produces positive results and reason to change.”

President Larry Nikkel said it’s satisfying to have earned the respect of peers in these rankings, but he hopes that ultimately “prospective students who are seeking a college with high academic standards and who are decidedly Christian” will give Tabor “serious consideration.”

Ressler said he believes Tabor is among the smallest represented in the top tier.

“This illustrates what we know to be true,” he said. “Great things can come in small packages. Tabor is a college where academically motivated students can learn, be involved and serve with a personal touch that large institutions can only dream of.”

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