UW-Eau Claire continues to find itself in the top tier among other public colleges across the Midwest, according to the 2006 rankings in the U.S. News and World Report magazine.

The annual rankings, released online Aug. 19 and in print Aug. 22, found Eau Claire fifth among regional public universities and 26th amid private and public institutions.

“Overall I was very pleased because we’ve been in the top five since 1999,” Interim Chancellor Vicki Lord Larson said. “It speaks highly of our faculty and staff, but it also speaks highly of our students to see our program ranked that high.”

Last year, Eau Claire weighed in at No. 3 among public universities and No. 20 when private institutions were added. Despite the slight decline, Larson said, Eau Claire is the only Wisconsin school to consistently place in the top five since the rankings began seven years ago.

“We still remain one of the best of the best,” she said.

Eau Claire finished behind Truman State University (Mo.) (No. 1), University of Northern Iowa and UW-La Crosse (Tied No. 2) and Washburn University (Kan.). On the national level, Princeton and Harvard universities tied for first while Yale grabbed third place honors.

One thing that consistently has helped Eau Claire stand out among other universities is its faculty-student research program, which Larson said is comparable to the top schools in the nation.

“It brings the students and the faculty closer together,” said History Department Chair Tom Miller. “As far as the students are concerned … it gets them a leg up when it comes to getting a job. They’ve had experience as an undergraduate that a lot of students from around the country don’t have.”

Part of the experience, he said, comes from the history department’s senior thesis process, which extends through three semesters, all of which assist history majors through their research projects.

Senior Jill Kartzke, a history major, said she wasn’t surprised that Eau Claire’s ranking had a lot to do with its faculty-student research program. She said Eau Claire’s professors work hard to help students succeed and get to know them better on a personal level.

“I feel they are always pointing you in the right direction,” Kartzke said. “They want you to ask questions so they can help the students out.”

The data for the rankings are taken from more than 1,400 accredited, four-year colleges, including 572 universities in four geographic areas (Midwest, West, North and South).

Factors such as faculty-to-student ratio, graduation and freshman retention rates, academic reputation and alumni donations help set the schools apart from each other.

Eau Claire’s placement helped freshman Sara Hopp feel a strong sense of pride, she said.

“You know that the academics are here and that the professors are going to do their best,” she said. “(The university’s) going to live up to its reputation.”

While it’s not the reason Hopp attended Eau Claire, she said, it certainly is an added bonus not to be at “just another dumpy college.”

Larson said she hopes during a time of budget cuts and difficult decisions, the university can maintain its educational integrity for the sake of the students.

With or without the rankings, Kartzke said she’s glad about the choice she made four years ago.

“I couldn’t imagine myself at any other college.”