Today, FALL/WINTER 2008 1 - University of the Ozarks

Ozarks ranks in “top tier”
with election show
for 10th consecutive year
November 4, 2008, was not only
For the 10th consecutive year, U of
O has been ranked as a “top tier” university
in the U.S. News & World Report’s
annual late summer publication that analyzes
institutions of higher education.
In the 2009 edition of “America’s
Best Colleges,” released on Aug. 21,
Ozarks was ranked third in the category
of “Great Schools, Great Prices” among
95 universities in the 12-state South Region
that are considered Baccalaureate
Colleges. It is the ninth time in the last
10 years that Ozarks has been ranked in
the top five of the best value category.
The value rankings evaluate the cost of
attending a college or university relative
to the quality of the institution, according
to the magazine’s ranking system.
In the overall rankings of the universities,
Ozarks was tied for seventh
among 95 universities that fall in the
Baccalaureate Colleges category in the
South Region. The seventh-place ranking
is the highest ever for U of O, which
was ranked No. 8 in the South in 2008
and 2006. The overall rankings examine
such criteria as academic reputation,
graduation and retention rates, faculty
resources, student selectivity, financial
resources and alumni giving.
“I am proud that, once again, the University
of the Ozarks is highly ranked in
the South Region by U.S. News & World
Report in its 2009 publication,” said U
of O President Dr. Rick Niece. “Being
ranked for the 10th consecutive year as
a top-tier university is a tribute to our
faculty, staff and students. I am equally
gratified that Ozarks is ranked as the third
best value in the South. To be ranked in
the top five for nine of the last 10 years
says a great deal about Ozarks and the
tremendous value we are.”
The South Region consists of colleges
and universities in Arkansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama,
4 Today, FALL/WINTER 2008
Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North
Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia
and Virginia.
The top five in the overall rankings
for the “Great Schools, Great Prices”
category in the South Region were
Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas,
Claflin University in South Carolina,
University of the Ozarks, Covenant College
in Georgia, and Alderson-Broaddus
College in West Virginia.
The top 10 in the overall rankings for
Baccalaureate Colleges in the South Region
were Ouachita Baptist University,
Erskine College in South Carolina, John
Brown University in Arkansas, Covenant
College in Georgia, High Point
University in North Carolina, Milligan
College in Tennessee, LaGrange College
in Georgia, Tuskegee University in
Alabama, University of the Ozarks and
Florida Southern College.
U.S. News & World Report ranked
more than 1,400 accredited schools nationally
in its “America’s Best Colleges”
edition, which hit the news stands in late
August.
KUOZ makes history
a big moment for the country, it was
a monumental moment for the university’s
communications department
and its educational access television
station, KUOZ Channel 6.
While the country was electing its
44th president, U of O communications
faculty and students were busy
producing and broadcasting more
than 3 hours of live election coverage
in one of KUOZ’s biggest projects in
its long history.
Under the leadership of Director
of Broadcasting Susan Edens, more
than 25 students and other faculty
members played a role in broadcasting
live election coverage from Walker
Hall on campus and from a remote
spot at the county courthouse.
The show included segments
in English and Spanish, live phoneins,
live reports from the news room,
mini-live debates and discussions,
taped interviews with students and
staff, and other special presentations.
The show lasted from 7 p.m. until
10:30 p.m.
The show was the brainchild of
students Taylor Jacks and Allan Arroyo
and was a culmination of several
weeks of work and preparation
by students and faculty members.
“I know this was a very valuable
learning experience for all of us, and
I could not be more proud of every
single person who worked behind the
scenes or on the air that night,” said
Edens, who earned a communications
degree from Ozarks. “A wonderful
combination of enthusiastic students
and talented faculty came together to
make radio-television-video and university
history. This is most definitely
a highlight in my teaching and broadcasting
career to date.”