Washington Monthly magazine has ranked Claremont McKenna College among the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the nation.
CMC ranked seventh on a list of top colleges rated by the publication, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of the politics and personalities at work in Washington, D.C. Claremont McKenna College finished just behind Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Haverford, Amherst, and Mt. Holyoke colleges, and just above Williams, Whitman, and Swarthmore on the magazine's list of the top 10.
"As we are celebrating our 60th anniversary as a college this year," says Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Richard Vos, "we are especially pleased that the Washington Monthly magazine has recognized CMC's excellence in the education of leaders for society."
In arriving at the methodology for their ranking, Washington Monthly focused on two primary goals: the magazine considered no single category to be more important than any other, and the final rankings needed to reflect excellence across the board rather than reward an exceptionally high focus on, say, an institution's excellence in the area of research.
To present a fuller, more inclusive playing field, staffers also weighted their rating criteria on such areas as community service, Peace Corps involvement and "social mobility."
For more on how other colleges ranked, and ranking methodology: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.libarts.html