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Dakota State is #1 Says U.S.News & World Report’s Annual Survey

 Madison - Dakota State University in Madison is the best public comprehensive college in the Midwest according to U.S.News & World Report magazine’s annual analysis of “America’s Best Colleges 2007.”

 Dakota State is ranked first in the Top Public Comprehensive Colleges - Bachelor’s Division in the Midwest region. 

 U.S. News categorizes the nation’s schools by mission and in some cases, region.  They base the overall rankings on several measures of academic excellence including graduation and retention rate, student to faculty ratios, and alumni giving.  The colleges are also asked to do a peer assessment of the other schools in their category. Scores for each measure are weighted to arrive at the final rankings.

 In response to the ranking, Dakota State President Dr. Doug Knowlton stated, “Dakota State University is very proud to have received this Number one ranking in our category of Midwest Comprehensive Colleges. DSU is a university that has committed itself to continually improving all aspects of the learning environment that we provide to students. This recognition is another indication of the hard work of everyone associated with DSU. We will be celebrating this accomplishment and hope that all our faculty/staff, students, alumni, members of the Madison community, supporters and the citizens of South Dakota will feel a special level of pride with this announcement. It is a wonderful achievement in our 125^th year!”

 The U.S.News & World Report rankings list the top four public comprehensive colleges in each region. Rounding out the top four institutions in the Midwest are Southwest Minnesota State University, which tied with University of Minnesota Crookston for second place, and Valley City State University (ND). 

 Dakota State offers undergraduate majors in education, arts and sciences, and business and information systems, graduate degrees in information systems, educational technology and information assurance, and a Doctor of Science degree in information systems.  More information on the University can be found at www.dsu.edu.