OnlineU based its rankings on online enrollment numbers and the early career salaries of alumni within the first four years after graduation. EMU’s online MBA program ranked No. 13 on the list, while Virginia Tech claimed the top spot with an annual tuition nearly twice that of EMU’s. Neighboring institutions James Madison University and Bridgewater College are absent from the list of the top 17 online MBA programs in Virginia.

“Earning a spot on this list highlights how the online MBA program at EMU is among the best in Virginia at helping graduates achieve higher earnings,” said Adrian Ramirez of OnlineU.

From the list: 

Why we like them: EMU offers a unique collaborative online MBA structured for professionals eager to tackle global business challenges. The program consists of 36 credit hours, allowing students to complete their degree in approximately two years. Unique to EMU’s approach are two short in-person residencies that provide experiential learning opportunities, emphasizing sustainability practices in diverse settings. The curriculum focuses on developing leadership, relational, and organizational skills. With no GMAT or GRE requirements, the program is accessible, and cohort-based learning fosters valuable relationships with peers and faculty.

Dr. Jim Leaman, associate professor of business and director of the business & leadership program at EMU, said it’s gratifying to see the Collaborative MBA program included on the list. “This honor recognizes the unique combination of access, flexibility, quality, and value, and further highlights our distinctive philosophy of viewing business as an important societal agent working for the common good.”

The Collaborative MBA program, a joint graduate degree program of Canadian Mennonite University, ��ݮ����, and Goshen College, develops the technical, relational, and organizational skills students need to become effective leaders and prepares them to lead for the common good.

For more information about the program, visit: emu.edu/mba

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Fans hoping to see ��ݮ���� [men’s basketball team] hang with the No. 1 basketball team in Division III didn’t get that at all Wednesday. But they sure didn’t leave jam-packed Yoder Arena disappointed.

Todd Phillips had 26 points and 12 rebounds – one of three players to crack the 20-point barrier – and the Royals forced 22 turnovers as they shockingly routed top-ranked Randolph-Macon 90-67 in front of 1,564 jubilant fans.

"I’m going to tell you the truth. They’re good, but we’re better," EMU junior guard George Johnson said. "And it all started on the defensive end."

Johnson scored 25 points and D.J. Hinson added 22 as No. 18 EMU (12-1 overall, 6-0 in the conference) took sole possession of first place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. It has now beaten two of the ODAC’s three other Top 25 teams, having also won at No. 8 Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 28.

Eastern Mennonite has another game against Wesleyan, in Harrisonburg, on Feb. 6, before traveling to No. 6 Guilford on Feb. 10.

On Wednesday, it used its swarming, turnover-inducing defense to force a high-octane, running game on the Yellow Jackets (13-1, 4-1), who were more than happy early on to join in the peddle-to-the-metal racing.

"We want to get up and down the floor," R-MC coach Nathan Jones said. "We’re not scared to get up and down with anybody. The problem, I thought, was you want to go up and down but you don’t want to give up easy baskets in transition. And we did that."

That, Phillips said, is exactly what EMU planned on.

"At first it felt like they were trying to run with us, or outrun us," the former Waynesboro High School star said. "But teams that try that, they just play into our hands. We like that."

Phillips scored five points in the final 52 seconds of the first half to give EMU a 48-42 lead and a little momentum in what had been an otherwise dead-even, shot-for-shot game.

But in the second half, the Royals quickly turned the battle into a blowout.

"We kept running and their legs were gone," guard Austin Twine, the team’s only senior, said. "They’re a good team, but we wanted to test how much they could run with us. They got tired near the end."

EMU opened the second half with a 12-3 run and went up 60-45 with 17 minutes to go. The run started when Phillips slipped baseline, took a pass and threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk just 34 seconds into the period – one of many crowd-riveting jams he turned in Wednesday.

From there, the Royals just poured it on, with Hinson, Johnson and Phillips leading the charge as the league’s top offense manhandled the conference’s No. 1 defense. EMU extended its lead to 20 points with 13 minutes left in the game and never was threatened.

The crowd, packed in so tight fans ended up standing on the second-floor indoor track that runs around the arena, enthusiastically cheered each basket, rebound and steal.

A day earlier, during a break at practice, Phillips casually told a reporter he expected the Royals to win "by double digits." Later, he told a local television station EMU would win by 12 points.

"I believed double digits," Phillips said. "I was being modest saying 12. I thought 20."

Defensively, the Royals absolutely suffocated Randolph-Macon after intermission, forcing 12 turnovers, outrebounding the Yellow Jackets 27-21 and holding them to just 26.9 percent from the floor.

For the Yellow Jackets, who had won 13 straight games in ascending to the top spot in the D3hoops.com poll, Wednesday’s defeat left at least one player hankering for a rematch.

"I’d be happy to play them tomorrow," said junior forward Danny Jones, who led R-MC with 21 points, 16 of which came in the first half. "I’d be more than happy to play them tomorrow. We made mental mistakes tonight and they executed. I’d be happy to play them tomorrow."

That won’t happen. In fact, the teams won’t meet again in the regular season because of the ODAC’s unbalanced schedule. But they could face each other next month in the conference tournament, where EMU hasn’t won a game since 1983.

Wednesday’s emphatic win solidified the Royals’ new status as a legitimate contender for the league title.

With 1:17 to go, EMU emptied its bench, pulling Austin out last. The senior walked to the sideline, stopping to get a hug from seventh-year coach Kirby Dean.

"It meant a lot," Twine said of Dean’s substitution gesture. "Being the only senior, and the only one to stick it out, to see the crowd and how happy they were, it was just a win for the school and this community."

And it’s a win that heightened expectations for more victories this year.

"[Even] before we beat them, I wanted the ODAC title," Johnson said. "This just shows you we can do it. If they’re supposed to be No. 1 and we did that to them, we can do it."

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The exclusive listings will be published in the magazine’s Aug. 24 issue and available online at . The 2010 “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook will be available as of Tuesday, Aug. 25.

How the rankings work

The Carnegie Foundation defines a national liberal arts school as one emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of its degrees in the arts and sciences. There were 266 schools measured in the liberal arts category; most are private institutions; 28 are public.

A complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school can be found online at .

Each college and university received a score based on 15 indicators, including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty-student ratios and class sizes, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

EMU rates high in key areas

Within the 65 colleges and universities in the third tier, EMU rated high in several key areas,with an average freshman retention rate of 78 percent, well above the national average, and a high percentage of full-time faculty (88 percent).

EMU’s alumni giving rate of 27 percent ranked 11th highest among all schools listed in the third tier.

Cited for international study

In a separate listing, EMU ranked 11th out of 100 schools cited for “most students studying abroad” with 72 percent of its 2008 graduates having participated in international study abroad programs.

“Being ranked in the third tier of such an impressive list of schools is quite an accomplishment. I’m happy that we maintained our ranking in the third tier, and also that we were recognized for the high percentage of students who study abroad,” said BJ Miller, director of institutional research and effectiveness at EMU.

“However, I’m a little disappointed that we weren’t included in their list of ‘Academic Programs to Look For’ category. Our cross-cultural experience is clearly a ‘stellar example’ of a study abroad program to look for according to their definition, but it’s probably not as well known as the ones that were nominated most frequently,” she added.

A study tracking graduation rates ranked ��ݮ���� (EMU) among the top schools in the region.

With 71 percent* of its freshmen graduating within six years, EMU tied with two other schools for fifth place in the regional “very competitive” category. The report was issue by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

The state average graduation rate for Virginia is 56.7, while the national average is 53.

The survey looked at nearly 1,400 schools over six years to find out how many first-time freshmen who were enrolled full time graduated from the same college. The study then grouped the four-year institutions geographically and divided them again into five categories based on how difficult it is to be accepted by the school.

Overall, the researchers found that about 53 percent of the 1.2 million students surveyed donned a cap and gown within six years after they stepped into class. In Virginia, the average is about 57 percent.

“At a time when college degrees are valuable – with employers paying a premium for college graduates – fewer than 60 percent of new students graduated from four-year colleges within six years,” the report’s executive summary said.

“While student motivation, intent, and ability matter greatly when it comes to college completion,” the report continued, “our analysis suggests that the practices of higher education institutions matter, too.”

View the full report online at

*EMU calculates its average graduation rate over the last five years at 65%, still well above state and national averages.

The exclusive listings will be published in the magazine’s Aug. 27 issue and available online at . The 2009 “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook will be available as of Tuesday, Aug. 26.

The Carnegie Commission defines a national liberal arts school as one emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of its degrees in the arts and sciences. There were 265 schools measured in the liberal arts category; most are private institutions; 27 are public.

Ranking Methodology

A complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school can be found online at .

Each college and university received a score based on 15 indicators, including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty-student ratios and class sizes, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

Within the 65 colleges and universities in the third tier, EMU rated high with an average freshman retention rate of 78 percent, well above the national average, and in the percentage of full-time faculty (90 percent). EMU’s alumni giving rate of 28 percent ranked tenth highest among all schools listed in the third tier.

High Graduation Rate Key

“I feel certain that our six-year graduation rate was the primary factor in the move up the rankings,” said BJ Miller, director of institutional research and effectiveness at EMU.

“That statistic is weighted heavily in the methodology, and our rate was at 70 percent for the class that entered in 2001. Their ranking calculation also includes the difference between what they predicted our rate would be and our actual rate. We outperformed their predicted rate by seven percentage points,” Dr. Miller added.

All 2009 rankings are available on the magazine’s website at

The exclusive listings – which this year feature some substantial changes in methodology – will be published in the magazine’s Aug. 27 issue, on newsstands Monday, Aug. 20, and available online beginning Aug. 17 at www.usnews.com/colleges.

The Carnegie Commission defines a national liberal arts school as one emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of its degrees in the arts and sciences. There were 266 schools measured in the liberal arts category; most are private institutions; 27 are public.

A complete summary of the methodology used to rank each school can be found online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

Each college and university received a score based on 15 indicators, including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty-studio ratios and class sizes, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

Within the 61 colleges and universities in the fourth tier, EMU rated high with an average freshman retention rate of 77 percent, well above the national average, and in the percentage of full-time faculty (85 percent). EMU’s alumni giving rate of 30 percent ranked second highest among all schools listed in the fourth tier.

“I am proud of the EMU faculty and students, and we are pleased to be recognized as a high quality private university,” President Loren Swartzendruber said of the “U.S.News” ranking.

All 2008 rankings are available on the magazine’s website at www.usnews.com

EMU moved from the fourth to the “third tier” ranking among schools in the “national liberal arts-bachelor’s” category.

Highlights of the college rankings are scheduled for publication in the Aug. 28 edition of “U.S. News & World Report” magazine, available for newsstand purchase on Monday, Aug. 21 – the same day that the newsstand guide is also available.

The Carnegie Commission defines a national liberal arts school as one emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of its degrees in the liberal arts disciplines. There were 215 schools measured in the “national liberal arts-bachelor’s” category in which EMU has been ranked; most are private institutions; 22 are public.

Each college and university received a score based on 15 indicators, including peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty-studio ratios and class sizes, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

Within the 52 colleges and universities in the third tier, EMU rated high with an average freshman retention rate of 78 percent, well above the national average, and in the percentage of full-time faculty (88 percent). EMU’s alumni giving rate of 31 percent is also well above the average for schools listed in the third tier.

“I am proud of the EMU faculty and students, and we are pleased to be recognized as a high quality private university,” President Loren Swartzendruber said of the “U.S. News” ranking.

All 2007 rankings are available on the magazine’s website at

Many of the rankings and some articles from the “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook will appear in the Aug. 30 weekly issue of “U.S. News & World Report” that will reach newstands Aug. 22. The annual guidebook will also go on sale the same day.

The Carnegie Commission defines a national liberal arts school as one emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of its degrees in the liberal arts disciplines. There were 215 schools measured in the “national liberal arts-bachelor’s” category in which EMU has been ranked; most are private institutions.

Each college and university received a score based on six indicators – peer assess ment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity and alumni giving.

Within its tier of over 50 colleges and universities, EMU ranked high with a 2005 freshman retention rate of 78 percent, well above the national average. An alumni giving rate of 33 percent is also well above the average for schools in the fourth tier.

“We’re ranked about where we expected to be,” said Shirley B. Yoder, vice president for enrollment and marketing.

“EMU made a strategic decision in 2004 to focus on under-served groups in our own community and throughout Virginia,” Yoder said. “We were highly successful in reaching that goal with 22 percent of our new traditional undergraduate students coming from under-served groups from within our country.

“Although students may find some help in comparing schools through rankings such as these, a campus visit will likely be much more important for evaluating a student’s fit with a particular school,” Yoder added.

All 2006 rankings are available on the magazine’s website at

EMU is now ranked in the third tier in the “national liberal arts” category. The university was listed in the fourth tier last year.

Many of the rankings and some articles from the America’s Best Colleges guidebook will appear in the August 23, 2004, weekly issue of U.S. News & World Report. The annual guidebook will go on sale the same day.

Prior to the 2002 edition, EMU had been ranked in the top ten in the “Southern liberal arts colleges” category in the “Best Colleges” issue. EMU chose to go for the national ranking when the magazine adopted the Carnegie Foundation’s updated classification system. The Carnegie Foundation methodology is the most widely-used by researchers and foundations in rating academic quality.

The Carnegie Commission defines a national liberal arts school as one emphasizing undergraduate education and awarding at least 50 percent of its degrees in the liberal arts disciplines. There were 217 schools measured in the “national liberal arts” category in which EMU has been ranked. Most are private institutions; 21 are public.

Each college and university received a score based on seven indicators – peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. Within its third tier of over 50 colleges and universities, EMU improved over last year in peer assessment score, freshman retention rate and SAT/ACT test scores.

A 2003 freshman retention rate of 79 percent placed EMU well above the national average for private schools. An alumni giving rate of 33 percent is also well above the average for schools listed in the third tier.

Other Virginia schools in the third tier are Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke and Emory and Henry colleges.

“When we changed rankings from regional to national we knew we would need to establish name recognition,” said Shirley B. Yoder, vice president for enrollment and marketing. “I’m very pleased that we have moved up in a short period of time. It speaks well of the quality of our students, our faculty and our alumni commitment.

“While rankings like these may help students to compare schools, a campus visit will often prove to be the most valuable way to evaluate a student’s fit with a particular school,” Yoder added.

(All rankings are available on the magazine’s website at .)

EMU, founded in 1917, is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition that challenges students to pursue their life calling through scholarly inquiry, artistic creation, guided practice and life-changing cross-cultural encounter. To this end, EMU is committed to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.