Union University adds more honors to growing list of special recognitions

The Messenger 10.08.08

For the fourth straight year, Union University in Jackson has been named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys by Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc., an independent research and consulting organization.
Union has also been included in the annual “Colleges of Distinction” guide.
The annual “America’s 100 Best College Buys” report evaluates academic quality and cost and the newest findings are based on a survey of 1,453 accredited U.S. colleges and universities.
To be considered for inclusion in the list of 100, an institution must be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor’s degrees and full residential facilities. It also must have had an entering freshman class in fall 2007 with a high school grade point average and/or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average and an out-of-state attendance cost in 2008-09 not exceeding the national average by more than 10 percent.
Union’s average grade point average for entering freshmen at the time of the survey was 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Its average ACT was 25. Annual costs for tuition, fees, room and board average $26,730.
The “Colleges of Distinction” guide identifies four distinctive traits of superior colleges and universities: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes.
Union and Belmont University were the only two Tennessee institutions included on both lists.
“For Union to be recognized by these two significant publications speaks volumes about the quality and accessibility of a Union education,” Union President David S. Dockery said. “Our inclusion points to the characteristic academic excellence, wonderful student engagement, authentic sense of community and terrific placement opportunities for Union students beyond graduation.”
Dockery noted that Union students receive such benefits at a cost below the national average for private higher education.
“We are certainly grateful for the ongoing national attention that is being focused on the excellent faculty, staff and students of Union University,” he said.
The two most recent recognitions follow Union’s inclusion in the “College Access and Opportunity Guide,” as well as other honors.
U.S.News & World Report ranked Union in the top tier universities in the South for the 12th straight year and named Union one of the top “schools to watch” in its annual rankings.
The Princeton Review listed Union as one of the Best Southeastern Colleges and Union was included for the second straight year in the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Print