The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE

July 29, 2008 Contact: Susan McKinsey, 277-1807
Media contact: Benson Hendrix, 277-1816

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNM AMONG NATION’S BEST 368 COLLEGES, SAYS PRINCETON REVIEW
Called strong academic community despite criticisms of faculty accessibility

The University of New Mexico is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company known for its test-prep courses features UNM in the just-published 2009 edition of its annual book, "The Best 368 Colleges.” Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are in the book, which contains a two-page profile on each school. (See UNM profile here.) Also included are student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories. The Princeton Review also posts the book's ranking lists on its website, http://www.PrincetonReview.com.

While praising UNM’s academic programs (“UNM offers a strong academic community with all of its many research opportunities [for] a bargain price,” says the Review), campus life (“There is always something going on”) and student body (“there are so many different ethnicities here that racial discrimination really isn’t an issue”), students gave the UNM faculty low grades, particularly for accessibility. Student surveys placed UNM among fourteen schools with poor faculty rankings and also graded the faculty “least accessible.”

“As the Princeton Review notes in ranking us among the top 368 Colleges in America, we have an excellent learning environment and a superb faculty, but one of our priorities must be to make sure our students know about and are making full use of their professors' office hours, after-class question-and-answer periods and other opportunities for student-faculty interaction," said Susan McKinsey, Director of University Communication.

McKinsey noted that UNM takes seriously the students’ assessments of their education experience and conducts an ongoing series of student satisfaction surveys that are used to identify issues such as faculty accessibility and other concerns. A major retention survey is planned for the fall semester. The Princeton Review, she explained, says it surveys an average of 325 students on each campus. UNM talks to more of its students and works to get statistically valid and reliable samples.

Robert Franek, Princeton Review's Vice President for Publishing, explained that "we chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics. We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them, and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students, and parents. Finally, we work to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character."

In its profile on UNM, The Princeton Review quotes extensively from students The Princeton Review surveyed for the book. Among their candid comments:

• “We have one of the top 10 law schools and medical schools in the nation right now, and the undergraduate programs that lead into those schools want to make sure that at least some of their students get accepted and decide to attend one of these graduate programs."

• “Even if you don’t know what you want, you are bound to find something that you love.”

• “Campus life can be as full of activities as one wants it to be.”

• “There is always something going on, whether it’s a dance show, a movie on the field, a cultural event, a sporting event, or any other casual activity. There are also a lot of opportunities for community service projects and political activism.”

• “UNM has students from all walks of life”…”With many Hispanic, Native American, Anglo and other students,” UNM is “extremely diverse.”

The ranking lists in "The Best 368 Colleges" are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 students (about 325 per campus on average) attending the 368 colleges in the book. A college's appearance on these lists is attributable to a high consensus among its surveyed students about the subject. The 80-question survey asked students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Ranking lists report the top 20 schools in categories that range from best professors, administration and campus food to lists based on student body political leanings, race/class relations, sports interests, and other aspects of campus life. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the book 1 to 368 in any category, nor do the rankings reflect The Princeton Review's opinion of the schools.

The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a New York-based company known for its test preparation, education, and college admission services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.

Media Contact for Princeton Review Books:

Jeanne Krier

(212) 539-1350

Jeanne@Jeannekrier.com

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