By Josh James
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-986136.mp3
Lexington, KY – In its annual rankings of colleges and universities released this week, U.S. News & World Report has placed the University of Kentucky 124th among national universities - a slight improvement over last year's numbers.
Moving up five notches from its previous spot at 129, UK is now tied with the universities of Arizona and Utah, and Ohio University in Athens for the 124th spot. Still, the university trails a number of its Southeastern Conference rivals, including Vanderbilt, Florida, and Tennessee. UK Spokesman Jay Blanton is quick to caution that the ranking is only one among many.
"It's good to take a look at these things and evaluate, but the truth of the matter is that we have our internal metrics and measurements that we've been using for some time to measure our progress with respect to other institutions in the country and that's where our focus generally is," Blanton says.
In the survey of the top 100 liberal arts schools, Centre ranked 42nd, Berea College 71st, and Transylvania University 81st. The U.S. News rankings are based on a variety of measures, including graduations rates, peer assessments among colleges, and their reputations with high school counselors.
