The USC School of Library and Information Science recently received high marks for their program in the U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges Guide” for 2009. The University ranked No. 2 for its program in school-library media.
“These rankings are especially gratifying, in that they highlight our academic excellence,” University President Harris Pastides says. “This news reaffirms our commitment to providing our students a top-quality education, thereby ensuring that we are providing a well-educated workforce for South Carolina and our nation.”
Likewise, Dr. Samantha Hastings, director of the School of Library and Information Science, was pleased with the rankings, which included an overall program rank of No. 17, out of 62 accredited schools nationally. “Being ranked No. 2 in the nation for our school-library media program validates our mission to produce the best qualified leaders in our field," she says. "It helps us compete with an ever-challenging distance education market that recruits students without regard to geographical boundaries. Our faculty and students are the best. Being in the top 20 is important and as we continue to improve and grow, we will continue to receive good rankings.”
School-library media student, Roxanne Spray of Columbia, says she will be ultra-prepared when she earns her master's degree in May. "I really do believe that school library media specialists and programs are crucial to students' success and achievements," she says. "The professors, classes, and internships have helped me blend the theoretical and practical, so I'm ready to fill my role and be a leader and have a high-functioning media program on the first day of school." Of the ranking, she says, "Certainly it's nice to have that kind of national validation for a program that I already knew was wonderful."
For more information about the U.S. News Rankings for the University of South Carolina, please visit http://www.sc.edu/news/newsarticle.php?nid=166.
