U.S. News Ranks CWU Among Top Public Universities In West

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -Central Washington University is among the top public master's degree-granting institutions in the west, according to the new U.S. News & World Report rankings, released today. It is the fifth consecutive year that U.S. News & World Report has ranked CWU among the top public master's degree-granting institutions.

US News ranked 574 universities, 116 in the Western region in the "Best Universities - Master's" category of colleges and universities, both public and private. Each institution provides a full range of undergraduate and master's programs within four geographic areas: north, south, mid-west, and west.

"We're pleased that again, Central has been recognized as one of the best universities of its type in the nation," says CWU President Jerilyn S. McIntyre. "Our continued ranking among top universities tells me that we're doing things very well on a variety of important performance indicators. This is a tribute to our outstanding students, faculty, staff and programs."

Since 2000, CWU has been through a remarkable period of growth and development. Enrollment has increased by nearly 28 percent. This year, CWU awarded a total of 2426 degrees, more than at any time in the university's history. During this time of unprecedented growth, the Ellensburg and university center campuses have been transformed with the construction of the state-of-the-art music building, and Student Union and Recreation Center, and the recent construction of the new Higher Education Center at the CWU-Wenatchee university center.

The report evaluates data from 15 areas that magazine editors consider to be indicators of academic excellence. The universities are then ranked against their peers, based on composite scores. The western region includes colleges and universities in 15 states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

"U.S. News &World Report has weighted criteria differently each year, and they choose data sets based on the priorities of magazine editors," McIntyre points out. "We don't use these rankings as a guide to our strategic planning, but we are extremely gratified to see our continuing strong standing. Our excellent regional reputation may be among the reasons that Central has positioned itself as a top choice among the state's best high school students."

Contact: Becky Watson, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, bwatson@cwu.edu, 509-963-1117

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of placebound students at six university centers throughout the state.