COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO — The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is one of the top public universities in the Western United States, according to the editors of U.S. News and World Report.
In its 2005 college rankings edition, “America’s Best Colleges,” released Aug. 23, the magazine’s editors ranked CU-Colorado Springs tied for sixth among public master’s universities in the West. In its 2004 edition, U.S. News ranked CU-Colorado Springs fifth and in the 2003 edition, the university was ranked eighth among Western region public universities. In 2002, the university was ranked ninth.
In the 2005 edition, CU-Colorado Springs was ranked in the top tier of all public and private master’s universities in the West. Master’s universities provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s degree programs.
In ranking more than 1,400 colleges and universities, U.S. News relies on quantitative measures and a “non partisan view of what matters in education.” Among the quantitative measures are freshman student retention rates, student graduation rates and class sizes.
“I am pleased to have the high quality of the university recognized,” Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “Though the State of Colorado continues to face challenges in funding public higher education, these rankings recognize the commitment of faculty, staff and students to achieving personal and institutional goals.”
Other universities cited as top public universities in the West were: California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo; Western Washington University; California State University, Chico; California State University, Long Beach; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Sonoma (Calif.) State University, Humboldt (Calif.) State University; California State University, Fullerton; San Jose (Calif.) State University and Weber (Utah) State University.
The rankings are available on-line at www.usnews.com.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 7,800 students annually.