EDUCATION: UC Riverside was ranked in the top ten colleges of the nation by a Washington Monthly survey.
By John Burke, Staff Writer
In recognition of its tradition of recruiting students of low- to middle-income and its commitment to community service, University of California Riverside has been ranked ninth overall among national colleges and first in community service participation in an annual college survey done by Washington Monthly.
Since 2005, the Washington Monthly has published rankings that pose a specific question: what are colleges doing for the country? The Washington Monthly rates schools based on three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarships and PhDs) and service (encouraging students to give back to their community). All categories are weighted equally, so schools are not rewarded for a single high score in just one category.
UCR was ranked ninth among national colleges, with an overall score of 82/100. But the real highlight was UCR’s first overall finish in the subject of “service participation and hours served,” and second in “federal work-study funds spent on service.”
One of the main reasons UCR keeps its high ranking is that it is highly accessible to low-income students. “This illustrates the value the University of California brings to the state,” Chancellor Timothy White said. “We are not speaking of a private good, for a single individual earning a degree, but rather we are talking about a measurable public good for all of us.”
Recent community service done by UCR includes: Heart Pillows for Heart Patients, the Suicide Awareness Walk and Unity in R’ Community, which encourages students to vote. This is the second year in a row that UCR has finished first in service participation.
“We are proud of the tradition of service here at UC Riverside. Many of our students come from low- and middle-income families and realize the importance of giving back to the community,” White said. This is the second time the school has finished in the overall top ten, and the second-place finish in “federal work-study funds spent on service” is an improvement from its third-place finish in 2011.
White commended his students on their giving back to the community. “Their efforts are an example of how UCR students are living the promise, building habits that will last a lifetime and setting examples for generations to come.”