IC ranks on “best colleges” list. by Melanie Breault ‘11

In a country with more than 2,500 colleges, it’s a great honor for Ithaca College to be included in the Princeton Review’s 2010 edition of The Best 371 Colleges. On top of that, IC was ranked number one for best college radio station — the student-run WICB — and number nine for best college theater.

Based on interviews with 122,000 students, Princeton Review selected the top 15 percent of four-year undergraduate institutions. The institutions were then broken down into the top 20 qualifying schools in 62 categories. An 80-question survey of topics, ranging from academics to food and housing to social life, yielded the winning results.

“These ranking lists came straight from students, and we got back some great answers from Ithaca College,” says Laura Braswell, the book’s senior editor. “The high placements show that Ithaca College has quite the array of impressive programs as well as an impressive network of alumni, which students [recognized].”

The College also received a “green rating” of 98. This measures an institution’s commitment to environmentally friendly practices, policies, and course offerings. The College was one of 14 institutions to receive a 98. Institutions ahead of Ithaca, with the highest possible rating of 99, included Binghamton University, Northeastern University, and Yale University.

The College’s radio and theater programs are not the only ones to be proud. For its fourth straight year, IC was also recognized by the Princeton Review in The Best 301 Business Schools. The business school is noted for its curriculum, student life, and career services.

In a separate ranking conducted by the American Institute for Economic Research, the city of Ithaca was named the nation’s number one college town under 250,000 residents, beating out such well-known towns as State College, Pennsylvania; Urbana, Illinois; and Iowa City, Iowa. Ithaca earned high marks for its academic environment, quality of life, and professional opportunities.