September 6, 2007

Riverside, CA. - For the fifth consecutive year La Sierra University ranks at the top of the list in the Campus Diversity: Universities-Master’s (West) category according to the US News & World Report’s “America’s Best College’s 2008” issue.

“This national ranking fits La Sierra University well since our motto is "From Diversity, Community."  We really believe that a quality academic program that takes advantage of our diversity gives our students an added edge in an increasingly diverse marketplace,” says Randal R. Wisbey, president of La Sierra University.  “The only university nation-wide that has a higher score than LSU is Rutgers (NJ) at 0.73 (matched with comprehensive college-classed Patten).  And LSU is tied at 0.72 with only Holy Names University, University of Houston and two branches of CUNY--Baruch College and City College.  All of these other institutions are in major urban environments while La Sierra's campus is still suburban.”

For the first time, a second college in La Sierra’s institutional category, Holy Names University (Oakland, California), has the same diversity ranking as La Sierra’s (see below for explanation of methodology and index number). Among Seventh-day Adventist institutions, La Sierra University is again the most diverse campus by far. Andrews University with a 0.64 index, Atlantic Union College with a 0.61 index, Columbia Union College with a 0.60 index, and Pacific Union College with a 0.59 index, are other Adventist institutions who were identified in the diversity rankings.

“College bound students who believe that studying with people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds is important will want to consider student body diversity when choosing a school,” according to the methodology on Campus Diversity in US News & World Report. “To identify colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from racial or ethnic groups different from their own, US News factors in the total proportion of minority students—leaving out international students—and the overall mix of groups in each institution’s 2005-2006 student body. The categories we use in our calculations are American Indians and Alaskan Natives (Native Americans), Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, African-Americans who are non-Hispanic, whites who are non-Hispanic, and Hispanics. (The US News) formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. The closer a school’s number is to 1.0, the more diverse is the student population.”

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)