SBU Named a 2011-2012 Best Value Public College by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Praised for strong academic record and great economic value
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STONY BROOK, NY, January 4, 2012 – Stony Brook University was named the 35th best value in public colleges and universities for in-state students and the 29th best value for out-of-state students by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance in their top 100 rankings of public four-year institutions for combining “outstanding education with economic value.” The rankings, announced yesterday, appear on the
Kiplinger websiteand in the February 2012 issue of Kiplinger.
Kiplinger’s assesses quality and affordability according to a number of measurable standards. This year, the rankings were revamped to give more weight to academic value, such as the percentage of students who return for sophomore year and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criterion includes low sticker prices, abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation. While the criteria have shifted, the overall focus on value remains the same.
“Stony Brook University is one of the best values in public education,” said Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, President, Stony Brook University. ”A Stony Brook education is about to become even more valuable thanks to two milestone events, the $150 million Simons Gift and the passage of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s NYSUNY2020.”
The Simons gift, the largest ever to Stony Brook and to any school of public higher education in New York, is also among the top 10 gifts to any public college or university in America. It will fund three major priorities: research excellence in the School of Medicine; faculty hires through new endowed professorships; and the recruitment of top-level graduate and undergraduate students.
Governor Cuomo’s NYSUNY2020 will enable Stony Brook to hire 267 new faculty members, 400 new staff members, 80 new clinicians, add increased course sections and research placements and improve the student-to-faculty ratio from the current 28 to 1 to the public Association of American Universities average of 22 to 1. As a result of additional faculty, the four-year graduation rate is expected to increase by eight percent and the six-year rate by 10 percent.
“With the revenue generated from the Simons Gift and NYSUNY2020, Stony Brook is poised to become a top 25 research university in the nation,” said Dr. Stanley.
Value in higher education is more significant now than ever before, noted Jane Bennett Clark, senior editor atKiplinger’s Personal Finance. “This year’s top 100 public colleges and universities deliver strong academics at reasonable prices. We applaud them for tightening their belts without compromising quality.” Click here for more in-depth Kiplinger rankings with sortable data by criteria such as state, tuition cost, average debt, student-to-faculty ratio and admission rate.
The ranking of Stony Brook University as the 35th best value public college and university in the nation is the latest in outstanding rankings conferred upon the university by independent organizations. Stony Brook was ranked 114th in the Times Higher Education 2011-2012 Top 400 World University rankings; received 23 Citations in the U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Graduate Schools” report for 2012; and ranked 111th out of more than 1,500 of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. News & World Report “National University Rankings” for 2012.
About Stony Brook University
Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,450 acres. In the 50+ years since its founding, the University has grown tremendously, now with nearly 25,000 students and 2,200 faculty members and is recognized as one of the nation’s important centers of learning and scholarship. It is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, and co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory, joining an elite group of universities, including Berkeley, University of Chicago, Cornell, MIT, and Princeton that run federal research and development laboratories. SBU is a driving force of the Long Island economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounting for nearly 4% of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County.
About Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
For nine decades, the Kiplinger organization has led the way in personal finance and business forecasting. Founded in 1920 by W.M. Kiplinger, the company developed one of the nation’s first successful newsletters in modern times, The Kiplinger Letter. Launched in 1923, The Kiplinger Letter remains the longest continuously published newsletter in the United States. In 1947, Kiplinger created the nation’s first personal finance magazine. Kiplinger.com is the fastest growing website in the personal finance space. Located in the heart of our nation’s capital, Kiplinger editors remain dedicated to delivering sound, unbiased advice for your family and your business in clear concise language.
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© Stony Brook University 2011
