HPU receives #1 national ranking for third consecutive year
By Nicholas Bainbridge
Members of the High Point University faculty work diligently every day to improve the school and ensure that it is well suited for providing an extraordinary education for the student body. Because of the drive for improvement that dominates the development of the campus, HPU has been in a constant state of growth where a lot has been accomplished. The developments that have taken place on campus have even garnered a large amount of attention, which allowed the university to compete against rival establishments. Every year since 1983, U.S. News has released information on American colleges in order to inform the public on which establishments of higher education are best suited for students. While the primary focus is on providing useful data to prospective students, U.S. News also ranks universities against each other to determine which schools are superior. Their criteria for what makes a good college is based on a wide range of factors, including faculty resources, academic reputation and alumni giving. In the recently published report for 2018, which was based on data collected during 2016, HPU received several accolades.
“Our main strength is our faculty. I think we have a faculty that is really committed to finding new ways to enhance student learning” says Dr. William Carpenter, Chair of English department.
The first and most notable achievement that HPU is its overall score. Fully embodying the school’s motto of being extraordinary, HPU has accomplished the herculean task of attaining a perfect 100/100 score by the U.S. News. The faculties has met and surpassed all of the expectations set forth by the researchers and have received a spectacular score. Due to this incredible performance, it should be no surprise that HPU was also declared the #1 Best Regional College in the South. It was the only college in the South researched by U.S. News to receive a perfect score of 100, surpassing the second place contender, Flagler College by 10 points. This is not HPU’s first time to be honored with the #1 ranking. In fact, this is the sixth consecutive year that HPU was ranked first out of all other Southern regional colleges.
“I am not ever surprise HPU was ranked #1by U.S. News for the third year in a row,” says junior, Jay Kowalski. “From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew this place was special.
HPU has not only achieved the highest overall ranking in the South but also special accolades highlighting achievement in more specific areas. One of HPU’s primary goals has been on bettering itself as an institution, as demonstrated by the flurry of new projects undertaken by campus faculty throughout the past several years. Because the faculty consistently endeavors to improve class curriculum, technology, and facilities, U.S. News has also declared HPU to be the #1 Most Innovative College in the South for the third year in a row. This is a great point of pride for the university, as a large amount of HPU’s focus and resources has been centered on improvements and innovation. “Hearing news like this only confirms that I made the right decision by picking HPU as my home for four years,” comments junior, Jason Allickson
Not all of HPU’s achievements are recurrences of previous years success. This year, the university received a new accolade that it has never held before. For the first time, HPU has also been recognized as the #1 Regional College in the South for Undergraduate Teaching. This is a momentous occasion for the school, as it shows that HPU can still grow and that there is still much more for it to achieve. All that is necessary is for the faculty to continue with their endeavors to make HPU extraordinary. “We’ve been ranked in these categories for many years and I am very proud that we have been able to maintain the number 1 spot” comments Erin Moran, Assistant director of undergraduate admissions.