SUNY Plattsburgh Moves Up List of Top Colleges

The rankings were announced in the 2011 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” They are based on assessment by administrators at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

“We are, of course, pleased to have our efforts once again recognized by U.S. News & World Report,” said SUNY Plattsburgh President John Ettling. “But this mention is just one of many measures of how the college is doing. From the national awards that members of our faculty like Drs. Nancy Elwess and Chris Martine have received to our enrollment statistics, we know that we are doing something right at SUNY Plattsburgh.”

Elwess was one of a handful of individuals from across the nation to be awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring at the White House this year, and Martine was one of two faculty members, worldwide, to receive a teaching excellence award from the Botanical Society of America. These are just two of the many faculty to win awards this year.

In addition, the college has once again exceeded enrollment goals, and its selectivity continues to be up. For the fourth year in a row, SUNY Plattsburgh had so many applicants that it had to turn away more than it could accept. This year’s acceptance rate was 47.6 percent.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher saw the ratings as good news for the whole SUNY system.

“SUNY campuses across New York state continue to be ranked favorably by nationwide publications and recognized for their outstanding quality, accessibility and unsurpassed value," Zimpher said. " … Congratulations to the campus presidents, faculty, staff and students who are responsible for SUNY’s consistent placement among these prominent rankings.”