Colorado Mesa University was ranked at the top of any public liberal arts college in Colorado by Washington Monthly Magazine’s 2013 college ranking edition. According to a press release distributed on Dec. 3, CMU placed 168 out of 225 univeristies nation-wide.

“It is always nice to have a third party take a look at what we are doing in comparison with our peers,” said CMU Tim Foster. “The nice thing about the Washington Monthly report is their focus on service and how our university is succeeding because of our role and mission, not in spite of it.”

A total of 1,572 institutions of higher education were judged based on three categories: social mobility, research and service.

According to the press release, Washington Monthly editor Paul Glastris wrote that the ranking of colleges runs “in conscious contrast to the U.S. News & World Report, which ranks colleges based on money, exclusivity and prestige, thus perpetuating all the worst aspects of the current system.”

CMU scored relatively well in the service category, which considered student involvement as well as CMU’s recognition by the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Only four other schools in Colorado made the list, with Colorado College, a private institution, being the only school to score above CMU with a 32. Fort Lewis College scored a 182, Western State University of Colorado a 233 and Argosy University 238.

cferganc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu