University also recognized as a 'school to watch'

Clemson University is the 22nd best national public university in the country, according to the annual ranking by U.S.News & World Report. In a new category Clemson also received recognition as a school to watch.

Clemson is No. 2 among national public universities in the “up and coming” category as “a college that has recently made striking improvements or innovations — a school everyone should be watching,” according to the magazine.

“It is truly great news for Clemson that we are now ranked No. 22 among national public universities and second on a new list of 'up and coming’ institutions,” said Clemson President James F. Barker. “What this means to our students and alumni is that their Clemson degree is more valuable now than ever. For faculty and staff it means we will continue to recruit great students and be even more competitive for grants and so forth.  

“What it means to all of us is that Clemson can work together to achieve anything,” Barker added. “We set our sights very high, and we are close to making our vision a reality. For that I have to thank all parts of the Clemson family.”

The No. 22 ranking is the university’s highest ranking to date. Last year, Clemson was No. 27 among the 164 public, doctoral-granting institutions in the country. The climb in the rank is attributed to improvement in a number of areas at Clemson: the graduation rate has gone up from 75 percent to 78 percent; the freshman retention rate is up from 88 percent to 90 percent; and alumni giving increased from 27 percent to 28 percent. The university has more classes with fewer than 20 students and more freshmen — 52 percent — in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes.

Clemson’s “Writing Across the Curriculum” initiative once again was singled out. Colleges cited in the “Writing in the Disciplines” category make writing a priority at all levels of instruction and across the curriculum.

Clemson’s undergraduate engineering program ranked No. 51 among those at all universities, up from 57 last year.
U.S.News & World Report rankings are based on statistical measures, such as student SAT scores, graduation rates and faculty salaries, as well as a subjective measure of academic reputation. The list of public doctoral-granting institutions ranks universities across the country that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors, as well as master's and doctoral degrees.

America’s Best Colleges 2009 will be published in the U.S.News & World Report magazine to be on newsstands Monday, Aug. 26.