Aug. 24, 2010

CSU Monterey Bay is ranked second among the nation's public liberal arts colleges in its contribution to the public good, according to The Washington Monthly 2010 College Guide.

Unlike the better-known U.S. News rankings, which focus on measures of academic reputation, The Washington Monthly rates schools based in three broad categories: social mobility, which emphasizes recruiting and graduating low-income students; research, with a focus on producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s; and service, which emphasizes encouraging students to give something back to their country. The magazine says it seeks to reward those colleges that do a good job of educating students. And unlike other rankings systems, no one category is weighted more highly than another.

Overall, CSUMB was ranked 65th among the 252 schools included in the survey of liberal arts schools.

In the category of research, CSUMB ranked 25th overall and third in research expenditures with $7.03 million spent last year. It ranked 32nd overall in service and eighth in the category of faculty and staff members, courses and financial aid devoted to service learning.

"In our eyes, America's best colleges are those that work hardest to help economically disadvantaged students earn the credentials that the job market demands," the guide's editor, Paul Glastris, has said. "They're the institutions that contribute new scientific discoveries and highly trained Ph.D.s. They're the colleges that emphasize the obligations students have to serve their communities and the nation at large."

The complete listings can be found at https://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2010/liberal_arts_service.php