Wednesday, January 23, 2008 Subject: Cronaca Universitaria Time: 7:58:00 AM EST Author: anarchicosublime Edit Entry Delete Entry From: Haney, Gail Sent: Fri 1/18/2008 3:33 PM To: WCU-All Employees Subject: FW: West Chester University Listed in the Top 100 TO: The University Community FROM: Madeleine Wing Adler, President This was the January 17, 2008, edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Congratulations to all of us! West Chester University among top 100 Kiplinger's found the school a bargain for in-state and out-of-state students. By Will Hobson For The Inquirer For many high school students, the ideal college is hundreds, if not thousands, of miles from home. Those who are bent on finding a school that provides a sizable buffer zone from Mom and Dad should take heed, though, as they may be overlooking the better education bang for their buck closer to home. Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine released its rankings of the 100 best values in public colleges in an article in its February issue. This is the seventh time the magazine has ranked the best buys in American public colleges, and for thefirst time West Chester University has cracked the list. "You don't necessarily have to spend a lot to get a lot," said Marc Wojno, senior associate editor at Kiplinger's. Wojno oversaw the data collection side of the process; six Kiplinger's researchers started compiling statistics last summer for the rankings, which arrived on newsstands this month. "For some of our readers, you don't have to go across the country to go to a college that's really good. There are colleges that have excellent academics that are in their backyards," Wojno said. West Chester earned a ranking of 93d for in-state students, joining the University of Pittsburgh (43) and Pennsylvania State University at University Park (45) as the only state schools in the top 100. For students from outside Pennsylvania, West Chester is an even better deal; WCU climbed to 69th on Kiplinger's out-of-state rankings. "It definitely suggests that West Chester has improved. My guess is that they have improved on their quality measures, and that says something about the school," said Jane Bennett Clark, senior associate editor and the writer of the article that accompanied this year's rankings. Kiplinger's rankings took into account two factors: academic quality and affordability. Using SAT scores of 2006-07 incoming freshmen, student-faculty ratios, admission rates, freshman retention rates, and four- and six-year graduation rates, the magazine trimmed more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities to about 120. Researchers then factored in cost and financial aid figures to rank the schools, using a formula that weighted academic quality at almost two-thirds of the final score, with affordability filling out the more than a third left. "We're delighted to be included in their rankings. It's recognition that we deliver a good deal of quality to our students at an affordable price," said Mark Pavlovich, vice president for advancement at West Chester. The total cost for an in-state student at West Chester this year was about $14,466; out-of-state students paid about $22,322. According to Clark, it's more likely that improvements in academic statistics led to WCU's inclusion in this year's rankings. "I think parents and students are recognizing that there is real opportunity at West Chester, an excellent education for a price that's hard to beat," said Pavlovich, who pointed to a growing applicant pool as a prime reason that West Chester's profile was improving. About 12,000 students applied for 1,900 spots in the 2007-08 freshman class, the most in school history, and West Chester has received 10,000 applications for next year, Pavlovich said. "People often draw a connection between price and quality. I think one of the things that's interesting about the Kiplinger's report is that they show a disconnect; that you can get a great education at a fair price," Pavlovich said. For more information, including the complete rankings and an explanation of the methodology, visit kiplinger.com. Adel Adel Barimani Executive Director Information Technology/ACS Office of Information Services West Chester University of Pennsylvania Anderson Hall 23 West Chester, PA 19383-2510 Abarimani@wcupa.edu (Voice) 610-436-3476 (Fax) 610-436-3240