Meghan Harmening | Staff Writer

Recently, Buena Vista University (BVU) was ranked as the third best value school among Midwest regional colleges according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Colleges Rankings. This is the third year in a row that BVU has been recognized for its academic value.

“We do a good job delivering academic quality while still keeping it affordable. In today’s environment that is important to students and families. I’m glad we were able to keep our position,” President Fred Moore said.

As students, it is easy to recognize the high quality of education we receive here at BVU. Not only is the quality of teaching within the classroom taken into account but the experiences outside the classroom as well – such as internships and research opportunities.

“At the end of the day, what really makes us special is the extreme dedication our faculty have to the quality of education our students receive. Along with that goes excellent teaching in the classroom. When reinforced with outside of classroom opportunities, students take a lot of value of that. It is evident by how well our graduates do,” Moore said.

BVU’s graduates have consistently been above 95% for placement in graduate school or job placement. This is evidence that employers truly see the quality students BVU has to offer.

“We stack up well. Again, you look at how well respected our graduates are in the professional world; our graduates are admitted to some of the best graduate schools,” Moore said.

Another of the many reasons why students succeed at BVU is the liberal arts college experience. Most of the students tend to major in a professional or pre-professional program but still get access to the liberal arts, well-rounded education.

“We consistently hear from employers that they want students who think critically and adapt to change, and those don’t just come from general education,” Moore said.

Over the past year, BVU has made significant changes to the general education program that is geared to a more intentional general education. These changes to the general education program are expected to strengthen our scores in the academic value category. There is simply a new emphasis on things that students need to know to be more successful after college.

“It is a more intentionally targeted program than before: more relevant, more coherent. I think it will be a stronger program now, and students will see that,” Moore said.

“We are pleased to have been ranked 11 again in the region. That speaks very well for the great job our faculty and staff are doing, as well as the students,” Moore said.

Congratulations, again, to BVU, its faculty, staff, and students for staying committed to true academic value in the Midwest.

Graphic by Krystal Schulte