Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:46 am

The Messenger 08.17.11 The University of Ten-nessee at Martin is one of the best colleges in the Southeast, according to the nationally known education services company The Princeton Review. UT Martin is one of 135 institutions The Princeton Review recommends in its “Best in the Southeast” section of its website feature, “2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region,” that was posted this week on PrincetonReview.com. The university has been named to the “Best in the Southeast” listing for nine consecutive years. “I am proud that The Princeton Review has again recognized UT Martin for providing a high-quality learning environment,” said Dr. Tom Rakes, university chancellor. “Student input helped make this recognition possible through comments and feedback based on their experiences at the university. Receiving this designation for nine consecutive years is a compliment to faculty and staff who work hard to provide solid academic programming and outstanding student support.” “From hundreds of institutions we reviewed in each region, we selected these colleges and universities primarily for their excellent academic programs,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s senior vice president/publishing. “We also took into account what students attending the schools reported to us about their campus experiences at them on our student survey for this project. Our ‘regional best’ colleges constitute only 25 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges — a select group, indeed.” He added, “We believe our choices offer applicants and their parents a wide range of fine schools to consider.” The 135 colleges The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Southeast” designations are located in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Princeton Review also designated colleges in the Northeast, Midwest and West as best in their locales. Collectively, the 629 colleges named “regional best(s)” constitute about 25 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges. The Princeton Review does not rank the 629 colleges in its “2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region” list hierarchically or by region or in various categories. For more information about UT Martin, go to www.utm.edu.