Rider Univ. Improves Ranking in National Publication

Editor's Note: The following is a news release that was issued by .

In its annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue for 2012, U.S. News & World Report has once again placed Rider University in the top tier of its Regional Universities – North category, ranked at 21.

Last year, Rider was ranked at number 36. The “America’s Best Colleges 2012” rankings were released on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011.

In addition to the U.S. News rankings, The Princeton Review has named Rider among its “Best 376 Colleges” in the nation for 2012. Both publications have ranked Rider favorably in their respective surveys for several years.

“We are delighted to see that these national publications have again validated what we have always known – that Rider is one of the top-tier Universities in this region,” said Rider President Mordechai Rozanski. “I would like to congratulate our talented and dedicated faculty and staff whose commitment to our students’ success is the main reason behind this national acknowledgment of excellence.

“While these rankings are a popular measure of an institution’s reputation,” Rozanski continued, “ultimately, one of the best ways to evaluate the quality and fit of a university is a personal visit to meet the faculty and students and experience the student-centered character of the learning community. This is where we excel.”

Rider continues to welcome a large number of prospective students and their families to campus, and has seen applications to the University increase by 59 percent over the last five years. Many students who choose to enroll become leaders in their respective fields of study, garnering acclaim both nationally and beyond. In fact, during the 2010-11 academic year, Rider students have earned the following significant distinctions:

• Norma Lamo ’11 was accepted into the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which presents highly competitive grants to recent undergraduate and graduate students. Lamo, who will teach in Malaysia, became Rider’s fifth Fulbright student in the past six academic years.
• Angela DiFranco ’11 was recognized by the state Department of Education as a 2011 New Jersey Distinguished Student Teacher award recipient. The prestigious honor recognizes the 15 most outstanding prospective teachers in the state.
• Two student teams from Rider placed in the top three of the Small Business Institute Association’s Consulting Project of the Year competition, which awards the best student consulting projects from around the country. The graduate and undergraduate teams from Rider were recognized at the association’s 35th Annual National Conference.
• The Rider News, the University’s student newspaper, earned four awards from the New Jersey Collegiate Press Association’s Collegiate Newspaper Contest, including first-place honors for sports writing.
• Rider’s chapter of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) captured first-place awards in three video production categories, as well as six honorable mentions, in March at the NBS’ 48th National Undergraduate Student Electronic Media Competition in Hollywood.
• For the second straight year, Rider’s Relay For Life was recognized as the “Top Performing College Event in All of New Jersey” by the American Cancer Society (ACS) at the Eastern Division Relay For Life Leadership Conference in November 2010. Since its debut at Rider in March 2009, the event has raised more than $165,000 for the ACS.

Rider’s external accreditations by Middle States, AACSB International, NCATE, NASM, ACS, CACREP and NASP also affirm its status as a top-tier university. To learn more about these accreditations, please click here www.rider.edu/academics.