August 20, 2007

Dana College in Blair, Neb., earned a spot in the “Top Tier” of the “Best Baccalaureate Colleges - Midwest” in the 2008 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S.News & World Report released Friday. The rankings are published in the magazine’s Aug. 27 issue, now on newsstands and available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

Although she does not place a lot of weight on the importance of such rankings, Dana College President Janet Philipp says she is proud that Dana College has earned a rank among the best in the Midwest. Dana’s rank of 48th is the highest in recent memory.

“ Dana is pleased to earn this recognition,” Philipp said. “This ranking is a significant indicator of the quality and value of the educational experience for students enrolled at Dana College.”

The schools ranked in the “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” list 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. There are 320 baccalaureate colleges, within four regions: North, South, Midwest, and West.

The Midwest region includes Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

Using a proprietary methodology, the annual U.S.News & World Report rankings represent the most comprehensive look at how schools stack up based on a set of 15 widely accepted indicators of excellence, and help consumers evaluate and compare data compiled from more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools.

A complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school can be found online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

Media Contact:
Carrie L. Reed, Director of College Relations and Marketing
402-426-7385
creed@dana.edu

U.S.News & World Report Media Contacts:
Goodman Media International
Bennett Kleinberg, bkleinberg@goodmanmedia.com
Sabrina Strauss, sstrauss@goodmanmedia.com
Amy Jaick, ajaick@goodmanmedia.com
(212) 576-2700

U.S.News & World Report
Cynthia Powell, pr@usnews.com
(202) 955-2136