Long Beach State’s recent designation as one of the “Best in the West” by Princeton Review came right in time for my inaugural post on Higher Ed Matters. The prestigious list ranked The Beach among the 123 best higher education institutions in the 15 western states, which include California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado, among others. This comes on the heels of another distinction that was released earlier this year by Princeton Review in cooperation with USA Today that ranked Long Beach State among the top 50 best public colleges in the nation.
Considering there are 2,500 four-year colleges nationwide, these rankings are nothing to take lightly. According to Princeton Review’s vice president for publishing Robert Franek, schools are selected, “based on institutional data we collect from several hundred schools in each region, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of independent and high school-based college advisors whose recommendations we invite.” To come out ahead of so many other schools is a testament to the school’s success in the areas of academics, campus life and student body.
This news comes at a good time, not just for my first post, but for the faculty, staff and students of Long Beach State. It’s been a challenging year for higher education institutions across the country. In California, faculty and staff have been placed on mandatory furlough and students have been stuck with higher tuition and fees. Unfortunately, these recognitions don’t necessarily translate into bigger budgets or more money, but it must be rewarding for faculty, staff and students to be recognized and reassuring for all of us to know that one of the nation’s best is located right in our own city. This is certainly something worth celebrating.
In response to the announcement, CSULB President F. King Alexander said, “The Princeton Review ranking is significant because it is based on the opinions of those we serve – the students at Cal State Long Beach.” He added, “Our students… feel very positive about The Beach, and that is a direct result of the outstanding efforts by the faculty and staff on this campus.”
So, congratulations to The Beach and hats off to the faculty, staff and students for making Long Beach State one of the “Best in the West”!
Keep your eyes open for upcoming articles on Higher Ed Matters, where what matters most in the world of higher education is discussed and debated.