Newsweek names Richmond as a hot college

Newsweek magazine has featured the University of Richmond on its annual list of the “25 Hottest Schools in America.”

Newsweek named Richmond as the hottest college in the nation for international studies. In its annual college guide, Newsweek selected 25 universities that “offer top academic programs but are also generating extra buzz this year.” Other schools that made the list include Cornell (“Hottest Ivy”), Harvard (“Hottest for Rejecting You”) and Princeton (“Hottest for Liberal Arts”).

“Any education without an international component is not an education for the 21st century,” said President Edward L. Ayers. 

Newsweek noted Richmond’s high study-abroad rate among undergraduates, who are “attending universities with local students in Oxford, Edinburgh, Prague, Milan, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Bangkok and many other cosmopolitan spots. The University has exchange agreements with more than 50 schools around the world and ensures that time spent abroad costs no more than time on campus. The faculty is strong in many areas, particularly business, science and leadership studies, but all students are urged to see the world.”

The leading force behind Richmond’s global focus is Uliana Gabara, founding dean of international education, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. (See related article, page 3.) During Gabara’s tenure, Richmond adopted a comprehensive and integrated approach to internationalization. This means that courses and life on campus are as much a part of international education as is study abroad, and that students, faculty and staff are equal participants in the process. 

During the past two decades at Richmond, the number of courses with international content and the number of faculty with international research, teaching and experience have all increased significantly. In addition, study-abroad participation has blossomed, and the number of international students attending Richmond has grown from 15 to more than 200. Currently, international students represent more than 70 countries on campus. 

At Richmond, the cost of studying abroad is the same as studying on campus. Participants receive full financial aid, a travel grant, health insurance, passport-visa costs and even gym and music lesson expenses, if they are not provided by the host university. Additional stipends cover some missed earnings from campus employment.

All successfully completed international courses earn credit toward a Richmond degree, so study abroad does not delay graduation.

In developing its annual college guide, Newsweek does not use numerical rankings. Instead, the magazine notes, “our list is a quick but colorful snapshot of today’s most interesting schools. We’ve talked to a range of experts—admissions officials, educational consultants, students, parents, and college and university leaders—in making our selections. We’ve been particularly influenced by the views of high-school counselors, the people most in tune with what matters to the latest wave of college applicants.”

In the past several months, Richmond has been named to a number of prestigious college rankings. For the third year, U.S.News & World Report has ranked the University in the top tier of “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” in its annual ratings of American colleges and universities.  Last March, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named Richmond to its 2007 list of the 50 “Best Values in Private Universities,” and BusinessWeek named the University’s Robins School of Business one of the top 25 undergraduate business programs in the country for the second year in a row.