Washington Monthly’s annual college guide gives us a unique perspective when it comes to college rankings. They look at what colleges are doing for the country.
“Higher education, after all, doesn’t just affect students. We all benefit when colleges produce groundbreaking research that drives economic growth, when they put students from lower-income families on the path to a better life, and when they shape the character of future leaders. And we all pay for it, through hundreds of billions of dollars in government-financed financial aid, tax breaks, and other spending.”
In order to identify the most “public-minded institutions,” Washington Monthly ranks “every four-year college and university in America based on three criteria: social mobility, research, and public service.” By giving equal weight to public service, this ranking identifies colleges, such as Warner Pacific, that embrace an ethos of service to their communities. They also recognize schools that do the best job of enrolling and graduating low-income students.
We are pleased that Warner Pacific ranked 48th in the nation on the 2014 Baccalaureate Colleges list. As one of only four Oregon colleges to be included on this list, we out shone larger schools in community service participation of our students and cumulative hours served (38th) and jumped to the head of the list with regard to service staff, courses, and financial aid support (15th).