Points of Distinction

A graduate community health program at the School of Medicine — the master of public health — ranks 6^th among public and private schools combined, according to U.S. News and World Report.

U.S. News said the program is tied for No. 2 among public university programs. U.S. News also ranked KU’s health care management master’s degree program 22nd and primary care 30th among public university programs.

The news website Military Times ranks KU's programs for veterans No. 7 among U.S. public four-year colleges. KU ranks No. 3 among colleges with 20,000 students or more, and it is the highest-ranked Big 12 university.

Criteria included participation in the federal Yellow Ribbon program, in which schools help pay for veterans' tuition; an office devoted to veterans and a strong veterans-services staff; and a low student-loan default rate compared with other schools on the list.

Eastern Kentucky University was No. 1; Rutgers, South Floriday, and Nebraska were also in the top 10.

The Princeton Review has named the University Daily Kansan to its top 10 list of best college newspapers for 2012.

KU's program in the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications was ranked No. 6 behind Penn State, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Yale, Brown, and Wisconsin-Madison.

Rounding out the top 10 were Maryland-College Park, Florida, University of California-Santa Barbara, and Georgia.

The Kansan began semi-annual publication in 1904 and became a weekday newpaper in 1912.

The new "Review of 50 Public University Honors Programs" ranks KU No. 6 in its category of 13 schools. KU ranks in the top 10 in five areas in the study.

It was No. 2 among all schools for benefits to student participants, including study abroad, housing, and priority registration. It ranked No. 5 for "excellence ipact." It is No. 6 in the attainment of presitigious scholarships, especially the Rhodes and Goldwater awards.

KU has had 26 Rhodes scholars, more than all other Kansas institutions combined. It has had 53 Goldwater scholars.

Other public institutions in KU's category included Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pitt, Texas-Austin, and Virginia.Texas is the only other Big 12 school included in the study.

"The honors staff at KU has a notably strong commitment to its advocacy role on behalf of honors students and programs," the study noted.

The master's program KU's Department of Architecture in the School of Architecture, Design & Planning ranks 14th among the 99 graduate programs in the discipline, according to DesignIntelligence magazine.

The magazine's annual "Best Architecture & Design Schools" issue is the only ranking of National Architectural Accrediting Board member schools published in the United States.

In addition, Midwest architecture firms ranked KU’s graduate program No. 1 in the nation — ahead of schools such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The rankings are based on such factors as design ability, proficiency in construction and sustainability, business acumen, and leadership ability.

Dan Rockhill, the department’s J.L. Constant Distinguished Professor of Architecture, was named one of the 30 most admired educators in the nation. Rockhill is widely known for heading Studio 804, a design-build program within the school that designs and constructs a building of significant technical sophistication each year.

Princeton Review has again ranked KU in its The Best 377 Colleges: 2013 Edition and in its Best Western Colleges and Best Value Colleges categories.

KU's University Daily Kansan ranked No. 6 on Princeton Review's Best College Newspapers list, and KJHK-FM was No. 16 on the Best College Radio Station ranking. Among Jock Schools, KU placed No. 12.

The freshman class of 2012 has a collective ACT score of 25.1, the highest in KU's history and an increase over the record-setting 24.9 average of the two preceding years.

This is the first time an incoming class has had a collective ACT average above 25.

It is also the most diverse class in KU history, 21.3 percent being minority students.

The freshman class numbers 3,771, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2011. Total KU enrollment is 27,939. The School of Engineering enrollment increased by 22 percent as its freshman class expanded to meet the state's need for more engineers. The School of Nursing enrollment increased by 9.3 percent and the School of Pharmacy by 6.7 percent.

The School of Business experienced a 141 percent increase in its freshman class because it admitted more freshmen directly.

Kansas Public Radio was named 2012 Station of the Year in the Medium Market Radio category by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. It is the 14th time the station has won the top prize since its inception in 1996.

KPR swept the Editorial/Commentary categories, and its newly redesigned website— kansaspublicradio.org — won best in the state. It also was honored in the public affairs, news feature/enterprise, and spot news categories.

KPR broadcasts on 91.5 FM in Lawrence, 89.7 FM in Emporia, 91.3 FM in Olsburg-Junction City, 89.9 FM in Atchison, 90.3 FM in Chanute, and 99.5 FM and 97.9 FM in Manhattan.

The online Livability.com ranks Lawrence No. 5 in its Top College Towns 2012 list.

Attractions include the low cost of living; the Natural History Museum, the Spencer Museum of Art, and the Lied Center; coffee shops, two micro breweries and the impressive city library; and the excellent bus system.

Princeton Reviw's Best Colleges guide was the starting point for the ranking, editors said; it considers  weather, transportation, environment, and career services, among other factors. Livability.com also considered total population and the ratio of students to non-students, the economic impact of the school, cost of living, and walkability.

College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, led the list, which included Oxford, Miss.; Bloomington, Ind.; Athens, Ga.; and Blacksburg, Va., home of Virginia Tech.

Mother Earth News includes Lawrence in its 2012 list of "8 Great Places You've (Maybe) Never Heard Of," all setting a high standard for livability, sustainability, and civic pride.

The magazine praises the town's sense of Civil War history, the rich cultural opportunities available at KU and Haskell Indian Nations University, and the appreciation of local food and farmers markets. The newhydroelectric power plant scheduled to open in late 2012 at Bowersock Dam was also noted.

The other cities on the list: Golden, Colo.; Dover, N.H.; Charleston, S.C.; Port Townsend, Wash.; Red Lodge, Mont.; Hilo, Hawaii; and Denton, Texas.

The American Institute for Economic Research 2012 College Destinations Index ranks Lawrence No. 8 in the top 75 U.S. towns and cities for college students. 

Manhattan, home of Kansas State University, was ranked No. 14.

Criteria included the concentration and diversity of college students, cost of living, arts and leisure venues, employment opportunities, and entrepreneurial activity.

KU faculty ranked second nationwide in 2011-12 for the number of prestigious Fulbright awards they received, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Nine KU faculty members received the awards, which enable recipients to teach and conduct research overseas for a year.

The University of Kansas rose slightly in rankings in the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.” KU rose to 46th among public universities, up one place from last year. Overall, KU ranks 101st this year, up three places.

The schools of Engineering and Business also saw gains in the undergraduate rankings, with Engineering rising two places to 44th among public universities and Business rising two places to 33rd.