Forbes ranks Randolph as one of America's Top Colleges in 2013

Forbes magazine has again named Randolph College as one of America’s Top Colleges.

The magazine released its annual college rankings in late July, ranking Randolph as one of the best private colleges in Virginia. Forbes’ profile of Randolph College includes details about the College’s students, faculty, and academic program, as well as a reference to a recent study that declared that Randolph’s professors are among the best in the country.

Randolph College President Bradley W. Bateman was pleased that the College continues to be recognized by Forbes, one of several national publications that notes Randolph’s excellence. “While one should never put too much weight on a singular college ranking, Randolph College is proud to continually be mentioned as one of the nation’s top colleges,” he said.

Forbes partners with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity to gather data on student satisfaction, graduate success, student loan debt, graduation rates, and other measures. “What sets our calculation of 650 colleges and universities apart from other rankings is our firm belief in ‘output’ over ‘input,’” Forbes explains in its rankings article. “We’re not all that interested in what gets a student into college, like our peers who focus heavily on selectivity metrics such as high school class rank and SAT scores. Our sights are set directly on ROI: What are students getting out of college.”

Randolph honored as a College of Distinction

Randolph College has been named a 2013-2014 College of Distinction, one of only 10 colleges and universities in Virginia to be granted that honor.

“Randolph was chosen for its continued commitment to the Four Distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community, and successful outcomes,” Colleges of Distinction founder Wes Creel said in a letter to the College.

Randolph’s profile on CollegesofDistinction.com highlights the College’s reputation, including accessible professors, successful students, a strong academic program, and a vibrant campus life.

Read more of Randolph’s profile here.

Society of Physics students wins national recognition for the sixth year running

The annual Science Festival, where Randolph College students lead science demonstrations
and activities for children, teenagers, and adults, helped the Randolph chapter of the Society
of Physics Students win an Outstanding Chapter designation again.

Randolph College's physics students stay on the move: Throughout the year, you can find them fine-tuning potato guns, riding roller coasters to explore the physics at play, or helping Cub Scouts perfect their Pinewood Derby cars.

Those activities and outreach efforts have again caught national attention. The national office of the Society of Physics Students national office has just awarded the Randolph College Chapter with the Outstanding Chapter status for the sixth year in a row.

The Randolph College Chapter of the Society of Physics Students works on a variety of projects. Its largest activity is the annual Science Festival, when the College hosts science activities and demonstrations for people of all ages with the help of more than 90 student volunteers. This year's Science Festival will take place March 22 - 25.

This year, the group also plans to build a canon that will shoot T-shirts out to fans at Randolph College athletic events. They just do not stop!