By MISTI PINCOCK
The campus may be small, and the city where it's located almost unknown. But when it comes to academia, BYU is gaining increasing recognition and prestige nationwide.
Each year, U.S. News and World Report publishes their rankings of the nation's best universities. After the top 50 schools have received a ranking, the schools are emptied into tiers. BYU landed a spot this year in tier 3.
According to the report, BYU students have some of the highest ACT scores in the nation. The range of ACT scores for last year's BYU freshmen was 24-29. This range is higher than all tier 2 schools except for the University of Missouri-Rolla, and is just one point lower than the 23rd-ranked University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
BYU remains at the top of tier 3 schools when it comes to freshmen intelligence. Fifty-three percent of last year's freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
And BYU freshmen receive kudos for enduring their first year in college. BYU's freshman retention was 85% last year. That exceeds several of the top 50 schools, including Southern Methodist University in Texas, Pepperdine University and the University of Arizona.
One question stands out to anyone familiar with the results of the rankings. What is it that keeps freshmen here, and why are BYU students competing academically on an Ivy League level?
BYU President Merrill J. Bateman agrees that all universities have a common goal to 'discover truth, organize those discoveries ... store knowledge for current and future generations ... and to teach truth to students and others. At this university we add one additional function. Students are to be taught how to live for the eternities.'
BYU is not modeled after and does not resemble other universities. President Spencer W. Kimball said, 'This university is not of the world any more than the Church is of the world, and it must not be made over in the image of the world.' For this reason, not only are the teachers and students academically committed to BYU, but they are also spiritually committed.
The outcome of one's BYU education should be spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging and character building. These aspects will prepare students for a life of learning and service. This happens when faculty and students adhere to the counsel of Brigham Young: 'I want you to remember that you ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God.'
At the beginning of a new school year at BYU, all students should remember BYU's mission 'to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life' as we learn the truths of the world and the gospel of Jesus Christ.