|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
In Princeton Review's annual "Best Colleges Rankings," released this week, College of the Atlantic was
 not only admitted to the review's honor roll of 11 green colleges, but it was also designated as offering an outstanding undergraduate education and being one of the nation's best values.
In rankings essential to the mission of the school, COA placed as #8 in the nation for "Students Happy with Financial Aid," and #10 for both "Class Discussions Encouraged" and "Most Accessible Professors."
A COA education is focused on student participation and close student-faculty connections, noted Ken Hill, COA's academic dean. "We are delighted to be recognized for our commitment to student engagement and affordability," he added. "Accessible professors and hearty classroom discussions are a hallmark of our student-centric educational approach, and COA's underlying belief in social justice drives us to ensure that our education is affordable to all.
Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in the United States and two Canadian colleges were chosen for the book, which offers two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of the top-20 colleges in more than 60 categories.
COA appeared in several of these lists, among them #18 for "Best Campus Food." COA's kitchen serves an international cuisine, frequently featuring local and organic offerings, some from the college's own organic Beech Hill Farm. The college also is #8 on the list for "Gay Community Accepted" and #18 for "Most Beautiful Campus."
Says Robert Franek, Princeton Review's vice president for publishing, "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 we hear from."
According to the narrative discussion of COA in Princeton Review's guidebook, COA's one major in human ecology is "More than a course of study, human ecology is an approach to education that is interdisciplinary, in which all areas of study are seen in relationship to each other."
A deliberately small, intensive learning community, COA's single major in human ecology encourages students to apply skills, knowledge, conscience and passions from the arts, sciences, humanities and practical experience to every endeavor. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and Acadia National Park on Maine's Mount Desert Island, the college provides an individualized educational experience requiring students to be active learners and involved community members.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
