By RACHEL KONIECZNY
News assignment editor
U.S. News and World Report magazine ranked St. Bonaventure No. 5 for best value colleges and No. 18 for best colleges for veterans, both in the category of regional universities.
A regional university belongs to one of four geographical areas: North, South, Midwest and West, according to the U.S. News website. Bonaventure is in the North Region.
Tom Missel, director of media relations and marketing, said there are 183 regional universities in the North Region, which includes all New England states, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. There are 54 colleges classified as Regional Universities in New York state, according to Missel.
“SBU is No. 24 overall in the North among the 183 schools and eighth of the 54 New York schools overall,” Missel said.
Also included in the ranking was a first for Bonaventure history: the Franciscan university’s tie with SUNY—New Paltz for the No. 18 spot as a “best college for veterans.”
Aaron Byrne, junior sports studies major and a contracted Army ROTC member, said he loves Bonaventure, but does not agree with the ranking.
“Although St. Bonaventure has a wonderful networking community, I feel like we lack resources that larger schools have access to,” Byrne said. “The education that you receive at St. Bonaventure is second to none, but I don’t believe that this high of a ranking is appropriate.”
Byrne said he has found his physical therapy program at Bonaventure comparable to schools such as Daeman College, in Amherst, and the University at Buffalo. Byrne also said he feels fortunate to be involved in a growing program, as the 2015-16 freshmen class proved the largest class of sports studies majors.
According to the U.S. News and World Report website, the “best colleges for veterans” ranking lists schools that “participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees.”
The value ranking, which is the calculation used by U.S. News and World Report for selecting the top schools, includes the school’s 2014-15 ratio of academic quality to price, need-based aid and average discount. This information is included in the table to the right.
Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president, commented on Bonaventure’s ranking on the value list.
“We celebrate this ‘Best College Value’ ranking, because it speaks to what happens to students after they enroll at SBU, instead of just ranking the university based on the academic characteristics of the students we admit,” she said.
Byrne praised Bonaventure’s investment value, but said the school’s small size is a disadvantage.
“St. Bonaventure is a great investment in your future. However, I feel like we are just too small to offer some of the opportunities that large universities are able to offer.”
koniecrc14@bonaventure.edu
