Not missing much

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As UVU moves up in prestige and status, the school continually wins several awards and earns many accolades. However, when it comes to the U.S. News and World University rankings, UVU remains unranked.

The U.S. News and World university rankings are released annually and are based on a survey administered to participating schools. Utah schools that made it to the national ranking category for 2013 include Brigham Young University at 68, Utah State University at 174 and University of Utah at 125.

According to Brad Plothow, director of Marketing and Publications for UVU, UVU does not participate because the survey’s criteria put heavy weight on the selection of its applicants. As an open enrollment university turning to a structured enrollment policy, U.S. News’s criteria are not really applicable.

“We found that [the ranking survey] doesn’t match the mission and objectives of UVU,” Plothow said.

UVU chooses to focus more on proper accreditations for its programs and emphasizes the development of those programs and majors. Though the U.S. News rankings provide some insightful information, it is a total different focus from UVU’s priorities.

Despite the fact that UVU chooses to not participate is such rankings, the University houses some of the highest-ranked programs in the nation.

With competitive Nursing and Elementary Education programs, departments and students at UVU continue to excel.

“We clearly have these pillars of excellence at our University,” Plothow said. “Our programs also follow the same mantra at the school and are more focused on the quality of the program.”

In 2010, the Ballroom Dance Team won the college competition on the ABC reality show, Dancing with the Stars. The team is currently ranked number 2 by the National Dance Council of America Rankings.

At SkillsUSA, a national non-profit organization preparing college students for careers in various fields upon graduation, UVU consistently dominates in national and state competitions. For a little over a decade, UVU has ranked within the top three schools nationally.

“These results prove, once again, that we are one of the premier institutions in the state of Utah and in the country,” said Darin Taylor, professor of engineering graphics and design technology and the institution’s SkillsUSA director. “Our success in SkillsUSA is a reminder of just how excellent our career and technology education programs really are.”

Among all of these accomplishments, Plothow added another to the list of nationally acclaimed programs. The Personal Finance program was just named Top 10 in the nation.

These are just to name a few, and according to Plothow, the list continues to grow.