Tennessee State University Ranked Best Among Tennessee Board of Regents Institutions

Tennessee State University placed 77th of 258 colleges and universities featured on Washington Monthly's 2009 National University College Rankings, moving up three spots from its rank on the list in 2007--the last time the ranking was conducted. TSU, which received a score of 42 of 100 points, was the highest-ranked public university in the state of Tennessee.



Washington Monthly, a Washington-based magazine that covers politics and government in America, rated the colleges and universities based on their contribution to the public good in three categories: social mobility, recruiting and graduating low-income students; research, producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs; and service, encouraging students to give something back to their country.



"America’s best colleges are those that work hardest to help economically disadvantaged students earn the credentials that the job market demand. They’re the colleges that emphasize the obligations students have to serve their communities and the nation at large," according to Washington Monthly's Web site.



TSU ranked particularly high in the list's social mobility category, which was calculated by comparing the percentage of students who receive Pell grants to the difference between the predicted rates of graduation--based on incoming SAT scores and Pell Grant percentages--versus the actual rates of graduation. This means the University has completed comparable job at providing quality, affordable education to its graduates and enabling them to elevate their social and economic footing in life.



"We are proud to be the highest ranked public university in Tennessee, and 18th on "social mobility," which is defined as recruiting and graduating low-income students. Not only is this ranking entirely consistent with our mission to serve, it is further evidence of our steady progress toward becoming a Carnegie-engaged university. In our attempts to transform the nation and impact the world--one student at a time, we have long recognized our inherent responsibility to provide a quality education to all students--regardless of their social or economic backgrounds," said Kathleen McEnerney, interim Vice President for Academic Affairs.