"Ma" and "Pa" Shorter Would Be Proud

For the sixth consecutive year, my alma mater, Shorter College has made U.S. News and World Report's honor roll. Yes, the college associated with the Southern Baptist Convention churns out less than conservative gradutates too. ;-)

In fact, I give a lot of credit to a religion course that I took there for opening my mind to seriously question what I had been taught all of my life to merely accept as fact based purely on faith. It helped me to play the "what if" game. As in, "what if" every word of the King James version of the bible isn't true? Or, "what if" stories told in the bible and presented to us as factual events by organized religion were merely parables designed to illustrate good deeds? Would it change the basic principles that I hold important in being the kind of person I want to be?

Perhaps, that's a discussion for another day.................

From the Rome News-Tribune:

Shorter ranked 21st among Southern comprehensive colleges focusing on undergraduate education. It is the sixth consecutive year the school has made the list.
“We are pleased that Shorter College is once again ranked among the top-tier schools in the 12-state Southern region,” said Shorter president Harold Newman.
“Remaining among the top-tier schools while in a growth phase is difficult, and we are encouraged that the ranking indicates that we are growing in an intelligent manner.”

U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” guide is an annual ranking of more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools across the nation.

The “Best Comprehensive Colleges – Bachelor’s” category, which Berry and Shorter both fall into, includes institutions that offer a range of degree programs both in liberal arts and professional fields. There are 320 schools ranked nationally in this category divided into four geographic regions.

Berry and Shorter’s region includes colleges and universities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Academic performance is measured on as many as 15 different indicators divided into seven categories including peer assessment, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving rate.

Shorter College is located in Rome, Georgia and has several satellite campuses in the metro Atlanta area. It was founded in 1873 by Alfred and Martha Shorter, affectionately known as "Ma" and "Pa" Shorter.