More Than Just Football
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uburn students, staff and alumni have something to brag about. For the 15th consecutive year, Auburn has been ranked in the top 50 U.S. public universities. Auburn ranked 45th this year, with AU colleges also showing up in the poll. The colleges of Engineering and Business also ranked in the top 50. Auburn is also the top public institution in Alabama.
According to a Wire Eagle story, Auburn also ranks high in other areas. “Auburn students consistently achieve high marks for active learning, and Auburn ranks among the top research universities in the nation on the supportive campus environment measure of the NSSE,� said Drew Clark, director of AU’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.
U.S. news categorizes colleges and universities in seven different areas: academic reputation, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and the graduation rate performance.
Could Auburn’s recognition and success over the past 15 years be a cause for Auburn’s all-time high enrollment? I know I would like to hope so. Auburn’s enrollment hit a record high with 24,137 this fall, including undergraduate, graduate and first professional students. This is a combination of all the student groups seeing an increase in numbers since last year.
Not only is Auburn’s enrollment up, but so is its standards. This freshman class has a higher incoming GPA and ACT scores than any other class before. Things don’t seem to be stopping either. Auburn claims to have the highest admission standards in the state. Applying high school seniors are now getting deferred with GPA and test scores far higher than I ever had. Is that good news? I’d say so.
According to Forbes, AU is the number one producer of chief executive officers for small national businesses. Auburn also ranks in the top five in the nation for producing NASA astronauts and scientists. AU ranked in the top three in the SEC for wired campuses and technology and computing resources. The university is nationally known for its engineering, business, veterinary and pharmacy programs. It seems having an Auburn diploma gives graduates the upper hand.
People tend to get caught up in defining school spirit with our athletic teams. However, I was delighted to hear that my school is nationally recognized for its students and staff. Now, that is something to be spirited about. I think we all have a new reason to say “War Eagle!�
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