At a glance
Alfred State College is ranked in the Top 50 of Baccalaureate Colleges in the North in the 2009 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, the nation's leading source of service journalism and news. This is the second consecutive year that Alfred State has appeared in the America's Best Colleges rankings.
Alfred State College is ranked in the Top 50 of Baccalaureate Colleges in the North in the 2009 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, the nation's leading source of service journalism and news. This is the second consecutive year that Alfred State has appeared in the America's Best Colleges rankings. The exclusive rankings are available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.
"Alfred State College is pleased and proud to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report," said Dr. John M. Anderson, Alfred State College president. The results of these measures are proof that Alfred State is one of the finest institutions of its kind in the nation. There's no more fitting way to enter our second century than with this proof of our first one hundred years of excellence," he added.
Additionally, Anderson noted, "The fact that one of the measures used in the rankings includes assessment by administrators at peer institutions indicates to me that we enjoy the respect of our colleagues, and that's a great feeling. Other measures used in the rankings include retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. Our faculty and staff continue to work hard to maintain the margin of excellence of which we've been justifiably proud for 100 years."
Anderson also attributes this ranking to a number of positive initiatives taking place on campus, including the establishment of a Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture, an Institute for Sustainability, the development of specialized baccalaureate degree programs such as digital media and animation, financial planning, and information technology/network administration, as well as plans for a new student center, to name just a few.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings provide an excellent starting point for prospective students and their families in the complex process of determining which institution best fits their goals. The rankings supply hard data and analysis to help college applications make apples-to-apples comparisons of schools across the country.
In the rankings, baccalaureate institutions are those which 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. From each college, U.S. News & World Report gathers data for up to seven categories of academic excellence, based on several key measures of quality, listed below. Scores for each measure are weighted as shown to arrive at a final overall score. For universities-master's and baccalaureate colleges, the following criteria were considered: peer assessment 25%; retention rates 20%; faculty resources 20%; student selectivity 15%; financial resources 10%; alumni giving 5%, and graduation rate performance 5%. A complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school can also be found online at www.usnews.com/colleges.
Alfred State College, a member of the technology college sector within the State University of New York (SUNY) system, offers outstanding educational opportunities for students in its nearly 60 associate degree programs, 16 baccalaureate degree programs, and several certificate programs. ASC continues to expand its online education offerings to include more than 56 online courses as well as two complete curriculum options (health information technology and court and realtime reporting). Numerous vocational-technical offerings stressing hands-on learning are available at the School of Applied Technology Campus located in nearby Wellsville, NY. The College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and several programs are also accredited or approved by program-specific professional organizations. In recent years, the College has expanded its computing and networking choices to include a wireless option. While stressing technical education, the College continues to pride itself on maintaining close personal ties among students and faculty. Academic programs, residential facilities, and co-curricular activities are provided to meet the educational, cultural, social, and recreational needs of students. Alfred State's reputation for excellence attracts students and faculty from throughout New York, neighboring states, and several foreign countries. The College is located in Alfred, NY, a scenic village in Allegany County. It is 15 miles north of the Pennsylvania border, 70 miles south of Rochester, and 90 miles southeast of Buffalo.