MACON — The Princeton Review has again named Mercer University one of America’s best colleges in the 2011 edition of the book, “Best 373 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in America and two Canadian colleges were chosen for the book. This also marks the eighth consecutive year that Mercer has been featured.
“We commend Mercer for its outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our choice of schools for the book,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s vice president of publishing and author of the book. “Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools and the opinions of our staff and our 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board. We also work to keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”
In its two-page profile on Mercer, The Princeton Review reports that Mercer’s strong majors and pre-professional programs “are supported by a solid liberal arts curriculum grounded in the classics,” and it is a “school on the rise.” The profile goes on to quote extensively from Mercer students that The Princeton Review surveyed for the book. Among their comments on the University are: “The professors and staff offer exceptional outreach to students, and the relationship between professors and students is unparalleled,” and Mercer creates “the perfect college experience complete with friendly professors, helpful staff, easy accessibility and student activities to maintain interest.”
In a “Survey Says…” sidebar in the book’s profile on Mercer, The Princeton Review lists topics that Mercer students surveyed for the book were most in agreement about. The list includes: “low cost of living,” “(almost) no one smokes,” “very little drug use” and “athletic facilities are great.”
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,000 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at three regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
About the Princeton Review
The Princeton Review (Nasdaq: REVU) has been a pioneer and leader in helping students achieve their higher education goals for more than 28 years through college and graduate school test preparation and tutoring. With more than 165 print and digital publications and a free website, (www.PrincetonReview.com), the Company provides students and their parents with the resources to research, apply to, prepare for, and learn how to pay for higher education. The Princeton Review also partners with schools and guidance counselors throughout the U.S. to assist in college readiness, test preparation and career planning services, helping more students pursue postsecondary education. The Company also owns and operates Penn Foster Education Group, a global leader in online education. Penn Foster provides career-focused degree and vocational programs in the fields of allied health, business, technology, education, and select trades through the Penn Foster High School and Penn Foster Career School (www.pennfoster.edu), which are headquartered in Scranton, Pa.
— 30 —
