U.S. News Ranks WWU 2nd in West Among Public Master’s-Granting Universities
Contact(s):	Office of University Communications (360) 650-3350	8/29/2007

BELLINGHAM – For the 11th year in a row, Western Washington University is ranked second among top public master’s-granting universities in the West, a region stretching from Texas to the Pacific, according to the 2008 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.

Western also is the highest-ranking public, master’s-granting university in the Pacific Northwest.

“We are committed to an environment for teaching and learning that has repeatedly earned Western this kind of recognition, which is a tribute to the excellence of our faculty, staff and students,” said Western President Karen W. Morse.

Western is 17th place overall among comparable schools – public and private – in the West. Since the first U.S. News rankings in 1987, Western has been highly rated in 19 of 21 years.

U.S. News has separate categories for “national” (doctoral-granting or research) universities and liberal arts colleges and for specialties such as business and engineering.

The news magazine’s annual rankings are posted on its Web site, http://www.usnews.com. Rankings are based on a variety of criteria including academic reputation, student selectivity and retention, faculty resources, peer assessment and financial resources.