Assumption Named to The Princeton Review’s “Best 385 Colleges” List

Assumption is one of the nation’s best institutions, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company profiles and recommends Assumption in the 2020 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 385 Colleges. 

In its profile on Assumption, The Princeton Review praises the school for its “tight-knit, faith-based community where everyone is part of a family.” Students lauded the “engaging and approachable” faculty with a “diversity of teaching styles” who “love what they do.” According to the profile, “Overall, Assumption ‘helps foster well rounded, creative, intelligent and caring young adults to be successful and morally sound in their future endeavors.’” In a “Survey Says” sidebar in the book’s profile, students were in most agreement about the happiness of students, the availability of internships and financial aid, as well as Assumption’s relationship with the community and students’ community service engagement.  

“Assumption is proud once again to be recognized by The Princeton Review, and by our students, for delivering an excellent liberal education,” said Greg Weiner, Ph.D., provost and academic vice president of Assumption. “Assumption strives to form graduates known for critical intelligence, thoughtful citizenship and compassionate service. It is an honor to receive this acknowledgment of the value of an education rooted in both the breadth and uniqueness of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Assumption graduates are unique people who are prepared for meaningful lives of learning as well as for careers that require a capacity for creative thought and substantive knowledge in their fields.”

In addition to being named a Best 385 College, Assumption was included in the “Lots of Race/Class Interactions” rankings list. According to The Princeton Review’s, institutions named to this particular list is “based on how strongly students agree or disagree with the statement, ‘Different types of students (black/white, rich/poor) interact frequently and easily.’” 

Of being included in this category, Conway Campbell, Ed.D., vice president for student success remarked, “It is no surprise that Assumption is included in this category. Being welcoming to all is in the DNA of Assumption and its students. Our core principle of community-based learning is in the Assumptionist tradition, and students embrace the culture of friendship and relationship building, which carries through to an understanding of what it means to become better friends to others, despite race, ethnicity, and class. I am proud of our faculty, staff, administrators and students for this well-deserved recognition.” 

In July, Campbell was appointed  Assumption’s first vice president of student success, which enhances Assumption’s ability to meet the unique and ever-changing needs of current and future students. As the demographics of the Assumption change and the student population becomes more diverse, so too must the services and opportunities provided to students. Enhancing the various resources afforded to students, in particular first-generation students, is a key to Assumption’s commitment to promoting a campus environment that welcomes, encourages, and supports students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

According to The Princeton Review, only about 13 percent of America’s 3,000 four-year colleges are profiled in the book. The company chooses colleges based on data it annually collects from administrators at hundreds of colleges about their institutions’ academic offerings. The Princeton Review also considers data it gathers from its surveys of college students who rate and report on various aspects of their campus and community experiences for this project.

“We salute Assumption for its outstanding academics and we are truly pleased to recommend it to prospective applicants searching for their personal ‘best-fit’ college,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of The Best 385 Colleges.