St. Mary’s continues to receive critical acclaim during its
Sesquicentennial year. Now we have another reason to celebrate because
the
University is highly rated once again, ranking in the first tier among
“America’s Best Colleges” in the West region, according to U.S. News &
World Report’s 2003 college guide. National recognition is a testament
to
our abiding educational mission and reaffirms the guiding philosophy
exemplified by the Marianists, who brought education to San Antonio 150
years ago.

In the ranking system for top Universities-Master’s, St. Mary’s is
eighth
for best value and moved up to 11th academically in the West region,
which
extends from Texas to Washington state. The magazine’s “Great Schools at

Great Prices” rating for value is based on a school’s academic quality
along with the cost of attending for the educational dollar. It
gratifying
that St. Mary’s is listed in two categories for the ninth year in a row.

Congratulations to the faculty and staff for your dedicated service and
steadfast commitment in support of St. Mary’s mission and goals.

U.S. News bases its rankings on academic reputation, graduation and
retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial
resources and alumni giving. St. Mary’s is classified as a “Master’s”
university because the 572 schools in this category provide a full range
of
undergraduate and master’s level programs, and even some doctoral
programs
as well.

While it is an honor to be nationally ranked, we hope that in the future

the selection criteria will place more emphasis on educational results
or
outcomes, such as student performances and career success of our
graduates.
The character and qualities that make a university appealing often are
intangibles that cannot always be numerically measured. Ultimately, our
legacy is our graduates and what they accomplish upon leaving St.
Mary’s.

We cannot rest on our laurels, however, and become complacent, because
there will be new challenges and new opportunities ahead as we move ever

forward in a increasingly complex world.

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