What do Vanderbilt University, Georgia Tech, Emory University, the University of Georgia, and the University of West Georgia all have in common?
All were named, along with other schools, as one of the “Best Colleges in the Southeast” by The Princeton Review’s “2014 Best Colleges; Region by Region.”
The Princeton Review endorsed only 642 colleges and universities nation-wide. Over 75 percent of the nation’s institutions of higher learning were excluded from the list.
According to a report in The Newnan Times-Herald, a local newspaper, the Princeton Review is an education services company known for its test preparatory programs and college and graduate school guides.
The selection process included interviews from students attending the 2,500 colleges and universities. The top institutions were selected for their academic programs and their “outstanding student experiences.”
According to Princeton Review’s senior vice-president and publisher, Robert Franek, the schools were selected for their excellent academic programs. The study revealed that students from the University of West Georgia “loved” UWG’s top-notch nursing, business, and education programs.
The study also discovered that UWG’s professors “really care how their students do in class,” according to reports made by anonymous students. UWG students mentioned appreciation for easy access to tutors and computer labs as well as informative guest speakers.
On another front, the University of West Georgia, whose main campus is located in Carrollton, Ga., with satellite campuses in other locations, including Newnan, received a bronze Telly Award for its marketing and branding campaign, “Go West.”
It is the second time that the school has won a Telly Award. The Telly Awards are the premier awards honoring the finest film and video productions, ground-breaking web commercials, videos, and films, and outstanding local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs. There were over 12,000 entries for the awards from all 50 states and five continents.
In the interest of full disclosure, my family has a history with and an interest in the University of West Georgia. My wife received her bachelor’s degree from UWG and is now a professor and the associate dean of UWG’s School of Nursing. Our oldest grandchild just began her new life as a college freshman at UWG.
And, in a matter of personal interest, I thoroughly enjoy attending the UWG football games and cheering for the Wolves. The stadium is practically brand new and the team plays a good brand of ball with a number of area high schools being represented by outstanding athletes. The school has about 12,000 students and the main campus in Carrollton is beautiful.
Sometimes, students who are considering their college career get tunnel vision and focus on the huge universities or on the smaller private colleges. Often overlooked are the local or regional universities. One student said to me, “I want to attend one of the best colleges.” That’s understandable.
Now, one of the best in the Southeast Region, which includes Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, is just a few miles west of here.
Congratulations to the University of West Georgia, one of the “Best Colleges in the Southeast.”
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Sharpsburg, GA (www.ctkcec.org) . He is the bishop of the Mid-South Diocese which consists of Georgia and Tennessee (www.midsouthdiocese.org) and the Associate Endorser for the Department of the Armed Forces, U. S. Military Chaplains, ICCEC. He may contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org.]
