Westminster College ranks 6th on guide’s list

Staff report

New wilmington, pa.

Westminster College is ranked sixth among the nation’s top 249 liberal-arts colleges for “serving as an engine of social mobility,” according to the Washington Monthly 2011 College Guide.

Washington Monthly ranks the nation’s colleges and universities 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 through Peace Corps and ROTC service).

Westminster ranked sixth in the nation in “serving as a social mobility engine” by graduating a higher than expected percentage of Pell Grant recipients.

Westminster’s 75-percent graduation rate for its students was 18 percent higher than predicted.

Westminster ranked 47th overall in the nation and trailed only Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and Haverford among liberal-arts colleges in Pennsylvania, according to Washington Monthly.

“Westminster takes pride in creating and maintaining an environment that provides an exceptional educational experience for our students,” Westminster College President Richard Dorman said. “Our 18,000 alumni are sterling examples of Westminster’s ability to help transform lives.”

Paul Glastris, Washington Monthly College Guide editor, said that every year the publication devotes an issue to assessing America’s colleges and universities.