Millsaps makes ‘Best Colleges’ ranking again

JACKSON — Millsaps College continues to be ranked in the top tier of national liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 edition of “Best Colleges.”

Among other distinctions, Millsaps was also recognized in the category of “High School Counselors’ Picks” based on the opinions of public high school counselors nationwide and was one of 29 institutions recognized for outstanding service learning programs in the “A Strong Focus on Student Success” listing.

In another study, the National Survey of Student Engagement, Millsaps received outstanding marks in the “Levels of Academic Challenge” and “Student-Faculty Interaction” categories. The 2010 survey was completed by randomly selected first-year and senior students at Millsaps and results are compared with other colleges and universities nationwide.

The “Levels of Academic Challenge” measured emphasis placed on academic work, faculty standards, types of thinking required by assignments, length of papers required and challenges presented by exams. “Student-Faculty Interaction” measured topics such as faculty accessibility, research opportunities, prompt feedback and communication with faculty members.

By their senior year, 70 percent of students reported participating in internships or off-campus field experiences, 61 percent spent time with faculty members on activities other than coursework and 36 percent had worked on research projects with a faculty member.

For the third consecutive year, Millsaps is included in America’s Best Colleges 2010, compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. Forbes.com named Millsaps the top-ranked college in Mississippi based on educational quality, student experiences and achievement of graduates.