DePauw ranks highest of state liberal arts schools

Coming in at No. 53 nationally among liberal arts schools, DePauw University earned high praise on the annual U.S. News and World Report National Liberal Arts Colleges rankings released Tuesday.

The Greencastle university earned the best ranking among liberal arts schools in Indiana.

The National Liberal Arts Colleges includes colleges that emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study. Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., was the top pick nationally.

The report on DePauw focuses on the close-knit community created by the small school.

“Depauw University creates a supportive, insulated community for students in the rural, small town of Greencastle, Indiana,” the report said. “Every student must live on campus, whether in a traditional residence hall, Greek house or on-campus apartment. Freshmen ease into college with the help of the Depauw Mentor Program, which assigns an upperclassman to guide a group of first-year students.”

The report goes on to emphasize programs such as the Management Fellows, Media Fellows and Sciences Research Fellows programs, which provide internships and speakers series for students with a specific career path in mind.

The report continues, “Depauw also has an Information Technology Associates Program for computer-minded students who wish to balance a liberal arts education with hands-on, paid technology work throughout campus.”

Other highlights of the brief report include a mention of the longtime football rivalry with Wabash College (No. 65 in the rankings), the closeness of larger cities like Indianapolis and Bloomington and the DePauw Nature Park.

The report also lists Fox News anchor Bret Baier and former Vice President Dan Quayle as notable alumni.

Other Indiana schools on the list include: 65. Wabash, 68. Earlham College, 122. Hanover College and 168. Franklin College.

The national university rankings were also released, with five Indiana schools making the top 200: 15. University of Notre Dame, 60. Purdue University, 86. Indiana University, 176. Ball State University and 187. IUPUI.

To learn more, visit www.usnews.com/education.