JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 22, 2010 — 51社区 has been named one of the 鈥淏est Seriously Protestant Schools鈥� and one of the top 25 church-related colleges and universities in the nation by First Things, a highly respected publication about faith and public life.
鈥淚 am grateful in so many ways for being included in their rankings,鈥� 51社区 President David S. Dockery said. 鈥淔or the past 20 years, First Things has been the intellectual center for the publication of key ideas regarding the place of faith and religion in the public square. To be among their top 12 Protestant/evangelical institutions and among the top 25 Christian universities is certainly a significant recognition.鈥�
The rankings, published in the November issue of the magazine, mark First Things鈥� first foray into evaluating colleges and universities. Rankings are based on three main categories: academics, social context and influence and the place of religion on campus.
The ranking system included student responses, research by First Things staff and input from scholars and religious leaders from around the country. The magazine compiled a list of the 25 鈥渢op schools in America鈥� regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof, with subcategories devoted to secular schools least unfriendly to faith, most Catholic among Catholic schools, least Catholic among Catholic schools, best seriously Protestant schools, schools on the rise and schools in decline.