OLD DOMINION CLIMBS IN U.S. NEWS RANKINGS

Old Dominion University climbed a level in the national doctoral universities category in the 2003 edition of U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, which was released today.

The annual rankings place Old Dominion in the company of such schools as Arizona State, Illinois State, Louisiana State, Oregon State, New Mexico and West Virginia universities. Regionally, Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason universities also placed in the same category.

Schools are ranked based on reputation, retention rates, graduation rates, class size, median freshmen SAT scores, high school GPAs and alumni giving, among others.

"This ranking is a testament to the institution and the quality of its faculty and both undergraduate and graduate programs," said John R. Broderick, vice president for institutional advancement.

"The university's reputation continues to grow on many fronts � over the past few years we've had a Rhodes Scholar, a Truman Fellow and two USA Today Academic All-Americans, and our faculty are consistently recognized among the best in Virginia by the State Council of Higher Education."

Broderick also pointed to the university's more rigorous admissions standards, specialized programs like Learning Communities and the Career Advantage Program, nationally ranked academic programs and national media attention as additional reasons Old Dominion's status has risen.