Bethel only Kansas private college in rankings by Forbes.com

Bethel College in North Newton is the only private college in Kansas and one of only three institutions of higher education in the state to be ranked in a new survey by Forbes.com.

Even as U.S. News and World Report was releasing its yearly survey of “America’s Best Colleges,” Forbes.com published the first of what it intends to be an annual analysis.

Out of 569 colleges and universities in the United States, Bethel College placed No. 303, just behind The University of Kansas at No. 280 and ahead of Kansas State University at No. 504.

Bethel also is one of only two Mennonite Church USA colleges to be ranked by Forbes.com, a news release from Bethel College stated.

Goshen College in Indiana made the list at No. 159. Anabaptist-affiliated Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., listed at No. 357.

Forbes.com compiled its list in conjunction with Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University, and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

The methodology used tried “to put itself in a student’s shoes” by posing questions a prospective student might ask, such as:

• How good will my professors be?

• Will the school help me achieve notable career success?

• If I have to borrow to pay for college, how deeply will I go into debt?

• What are the chances I will graduate in four years?

• Are students and faculty recognized nationally, or even globally?

To answer these questions, Center for College Affordability and Productivity staff (mostly college students themselves) gathered data from several sources.

They based 25 percent of the rankings on 7 million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com.

Another 25 percent depended on how many alumni, adjusted for enrollment, appear in Who’s Who in America.

The other half of the ranking is based equally on the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed; the percentage of students graduating in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards such as Rhodes Scholarships.

“Bethel College is pleased to receive outside recognition of our strength and value,” President Barry C. Bartel said. “Our distinctive residential environment prepares students well for a complex world.”

The complete report is available at www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/best-colleges-ratings-oped-college08-cx_ha_mn_de_0813best_land.html.

In the U.S. News and World Report survey, Bethel moves to the fourth tier of “Best Liberal Arts Colleges,” defined as those that focus almost exclusively on undergraduate education, awarding at least 50 percent of degrees in the arts and sciences.

The rankings are based on a set of criteria that include peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

Peer assessment is weighted the heaviest, counting for 25 percent.

Bethel is one of only four Kansas colleges listed in the “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” category and one of three MC USA colleges in that category.

For more information, see www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/about-the-rankingsmethodology.html

Bethel College is a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.