Tag: The Princeton Review

USF News

USF Featured in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) is one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company features USF in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition. Released on October 20, 2020, and accessible for free at princetonreview.com/green-guide, the guide profiles 416 colleges.

“The University of St. Francis is pleased to be included in the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition. This recognition serves as a nice acknowledgement of our efforts to increase sustainability projects and awareness on our campuses,” said Janine Hicks, USF Sustainability Coordinator.

USF has organized formal sustainability efforts for close to 20 years. These efforts have resulted in the installation of water filling stations in campus buildings, the organization of recycling programs, the creation of bee hives and monarch butterfly sanctuaries, and elimination of general on-campus plastic straw usage. This year’s plans have included or will include the replacing of T3 light bulbs with LED bulbs for free through a program with Com-Ed and Ameren to increase energy efficiency, upgrading of a building automation system to increase energy efficiency, planning for an international sustainability speaker to address the USF community as part of Green Month in April, and the expansion of the USF community garden into additional plots that will be used by employees, students, and the university’s new food service provider, Quest Food Management Services. To keep up with USF’s latest sustainability efforts, follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/StFrancisSustainability.

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey of administrators at 695 colleges in 2019-20 about their institutions’ commitments to the environment and sustainability. The company’s editors analyzed more than 25 survey data points in the process of choosing schools for the guide.

“We strongly recommend the University of St. Francis to students who want to study and live at a green college,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief.  “Each and every one of the outstanding colleges in this edition of our guide offers both excellent academics and exemplary evidence of environmental commitment.”

Franek noted that The Princeton Review has seen a high level of interest among college applicants and their parents in colleges with green practices, programs, and offerings. Sixty-six percent of the 12,845 respondents (college-bound teens and parents) to The Princeton Review’s 2020 College Hopes & Worries Survey said that having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their (or their child’s) decision to apply to or attend a school. A report on the survey findings is downloadable at princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.

The school profiles in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges include “Green Facts” sections detailing such matters as the availability of transportation alternatives on campus and the percentage of the college food budget spent on local/organic food. The profiles also provide information about the schools’ admission requirements, cost, financial aid, and student body demographics.

The Princeton Review has published its annual Guide to Green Colleges since 2010. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of annual college rankings, its books, including The Best 386 Colleges and The Best Value Colleges, and its many other education services.

USF was recognized earlier this year by The Princeton Review in its “2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region – Midwestern” listing. For additional details on USF’s national recognition, visit stfrancis.edu/nationally-ranked.

How Schools Were Chosen for the Guide

The Princeton Review chose the 416 colleges based on its survey of administrators at 695 colleges in 2019–20 concerning their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Survey topics ranged from academic offerings and campus initiatives to career preparation for “green” jobs. 

More than 25 survey data points were analyzed by The Princeton Review editors to tally Green Rating scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 80 or higher made it into the guide. Of the 416 schools in the 2021 edition, 393 are in the U.S., 22 are in Canada, and one is in Greece. The 416 schools are listed alphabetically in the guide and not ranked overall from 1 to 416. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 99 made it onto The Princeton Review’s earlier (August 2020) reported Green Honor Roll, as well as this guide. The Green Rating scores appear in the profiles of the schools in the guide on The Princeton Review website and in profiles of the schools in the 2021 editions of The Princeton Review books, The Best 386 Colleges (published August 2020)  and The Complete Book of Colleges (published July 2020).

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The company’s Tutor.com brand is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 19 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company’s Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).

: :

Currently celebrating 100 years of higher education rooted in Franciscan values, the University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 51,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

# # #

USF News

The Princeton Review Names USF a Best Midwestern College

Joliet, Ill. – The Princeton Review recently named the University of St. Francis (USF) on its “2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region” list’s Midwestern category. This is the thirteenth consecutive year USF has been named to this national listing.

Arranged according to five regional categories (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West and International), The Princeton Review’s “2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region” recognizes over 650 colleges and universities that the organization considers both academically outstanding and a valuable collegiate option.

“As we continue to celebrate our centennial year, national recognition such as this demonstrates the University of St. Francis’ longstanding and ongoing commitment to student success – whether in terms of retention and graduation rates or in terms of in-field job placement. We are dedicated to preparing women and men to contribute to the world through service and leadership, and will continue to build a Franciscan future as we begin our next 100 years,” USF President Arvid C. Johnson, Ph.D., said.

Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief, indicated that academics and overall campus experience play an important role in assembling this annual listing.

“We chose the University of St. Francis and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics,” Franek said. He noted that the company considered data from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, information from staff visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of college counselors and advisors whose perspectives the company solicits. “We also consider what students enrolled at the schools reported to us on our student survey about their campus experiences,” Franek added.

To learn more about The Princeton Review or to view the listing, please visit princetonreview.com/bestMWcolleges.

The University of St. Francis is consistently ranked among the best colleges and universities across the Illinois and the nation when it comes to quality education, affordability, and accessibility. To learn more about USF’s other recent rankings, please visit stfrancis.edu/nationally-ranked/.

: :

Currently celebrating 100 years of higher education rooted in Franciscan values, the University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 51,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

# # #

USF News

USF Featured in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) is one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review®.

The education services company features USF in its just-published free resource, The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2019 Edition. Released on October 22, the guide can be accessed at princetonreview.com/green-guide.

“The University of St. Francis is pleased to be included in the Princeton Review’s 2019 Guide to Green Colleges. This marks the first time that USF has been included in this listing, which serves as a nice reflection of our efforts to increase sustainability projects and awareness on our campuses,” said Janine Hicks, USF Sustainability Coordinator.

USF has organized formal sustainability efforts for close to 20 years. These efforts have resulted in the installation of water filling stations in campus buildings, the organization of recycling programs, the implementation of energy efficient lighting in various areas of campus, the creation of beehives and monarch butterfly sanctuaries, and elimination of general plastic straw usage. Last year, USF earned a grant from the Illinois American Water Environmental Grant Program to purchase rain barrels and soaker hoses for its community garden. This year, students are being given water timers as a reminder to limit water use when showering, which supports the City of Joliet as it continues to investigate options for its future water supply. To keep up with USF’s latest sustainability efforts, follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/StFrancisSustainability.

“We salute—and strongly recommend—the University of St. Francis to the many environmentally-minded students who want to study and live at a green college,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief.

Franek noted that college applicants and their parents are increasingly concerned about the environment and sustainability issues. Among the 11,900 teens and parents The Princeton Review surveyed earlier this year for its 2019 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 64% said that having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.” The full survey report is downloadable at princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.

The Princeton Review chose the 413 schools it profiles in the guide based on a survey the company conducted in 2018–19 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges about their institutions’ commitments to the environment and sustainability. The school profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges provide information about admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body demographics. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools, with details on such matters as the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.

The Princeton Review first published its annual guide to green colleges in 2010. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of college rankings in its annual books, The Best 385 Colleges and Best Value Colleges.

How Schools Were Chosen for the Guide

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on Green Rating scores the company tallied (on a scale of 60 to 99) for 689 colleges in summer 2019 using data from its 2018–19 survey of administrators at the colleges. The survey asked administrators to report on their schools’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. More than 25 data points were analyzed for the Green Rating score. Colleges with Green Rating scores of 80 or higher made it into this guide. The Green Rating scores appear in the profiles of the schools on princetonreview.com and in the 2020 editions of The Princeton Review books, The Complete Book of Colleges and The Best 385 Colleges (published in summer 2019). More information about The Princeton Review’s Green Rating methodology and its Green Honor Roll (a list of schools that received the highest possible rating score, 99) is at princetonreview.com/green-guide.

How the Guide’s Top 50 Green Colleges Ranking List Was Tallied

The Princeton Review tallied this ranking list based on data from its institutional survey of administrators at the colleges for its Green Rating and its surveys of students attending the colleges. Ten data points from the institutional survey were factored into the assessment. Data from the student survey included student ratings of three factors: the influence of sustainability issues on their education and life on campus; administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts; and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. Its Tutor.com brand is the largest online tutoring service in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 17.5 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com. Follow the company on Twitter @ThePrincetonRev and Instagram @theprincetonreview.

About USF

The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide, offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 50,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

# # #