Washington Monthly Ranks Southern Miss Among Nations Top 70

Washington Monthly magazine has recognized The University of Southern Mississippi among the nation's top 70 institutions of higher learning for its contributions to the public good in its 2012 College Guide and Rankings. 

Southern Miss sits at No. 69 in the national rankings. Jackson State University leads the way at No. 47 among the state's eight public universities, while Mississippi State University comes in at No. 96 and the University of Mississippi ranks No. 196.

The magazine rates colleges and universities on their contributions to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students); Research (producing cutting-edge scholarships and PhDs) and Service (encouraging students to give back to their country).

“This designation from the Washington Monthly affirms our commitment to being a University that serves our students, our region and our state,” said Dr. Joe Paul, vice president for Student Affairs at Southern Miss. “We take great pride in our mission to positively impact the quality of life in Mississippi and beyond.”

In establishing the rankings, Washington Monthly editors noted that no single category carried more weight than another. Additionally, the final rankings needed to reflect excellence across the full breadth of the measures, rather than reward an exceptionally high focus on a particular area.

“This is very exciting but given the criteria used by Washington Monthly, I am not at all surprised by our high ranking,” said Dr. Gordon Cannon, vice provost for Research at Southern Miss. “Ever since I arrived in 1987, it's been clear that we offer excellent educational opportunities to our students while managing to keep costs comparatively low. It is gratifying to be listed in the top 70 by a publication that states ‘value is the key word.' ”

To see Washington Monthly's entire 2012 College Guide and Rankings, visit: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/toc_2012.php