Public University Honors’ Highest Rating

CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College Receives Highest Rating Among Public University Honors Programs

(September 14, 2016, New York, NY) The William E. Macaulay Honors College of The City University of New York has received the highest rating among public university honors colleges and programs, earning 5 “mortarboards” out of a possible high score of 5. Macaulay’s rating is among 60 schools nationwide as analyzed and detailed in an upcoming book, In side Honors: Ratings and Reviews of Sixty Public University Hono rs Programs. Macaulay is one of just three honors programs in the Northeast receiving this highest rating, which was posted to publicuniversityhonors.com.

“All of us who are part of the Macaulay community of scholars — students, faculty, academic advisors, staff, and campus directors — take great joy in working together to build a transformational experience for extraordinary people. This top rating is recognition that we are on the right track,” said Mary Pearl, Ph.D, Dean of Macaulay.

“Receiving the top rating is wonderful recognition for the college as it continues to attract students with the highest academic achievement. Those students benefit greatly from being part of an honors community and continue to excel by winning 200­plus major scholarships, fellowships and awards in the past 15 years,” said William E. Macaulay, chairman of the Foundation Board, and after whom the honors college is named.

Macaulay joins 10 colleges and universities receiving the highest scores, based on data received by publicuniversityhonors.com. Each school was evaluated based on various criteria that included: the number of honors classes offered, overall class size, ratio of staff to students, priority registration and prestigious awards received, among others. Macaulay students have received offers and fellowships to top graduate and professional schools, including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, the University of California/Berkeley, CUNY and Oxford. They also have received awards and fellowships such as the Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, Fulbright, Salk, Coro, Beinecke, National Science Foundation, and NYC Urban Fellowships.

Macaulay, which welcomed its first students in August 2001, has grown from an inaugural class of 189 to a current student body of more than 2,000. Some 28 nationalities are represented in the recent first year class of 548, and approximately 60 percent of Macaulay’s students are either immigrants or the children of immigrants.

Th e publishing date for Inside Honors will be October 1, 2016. Here is the full list of the 11 schools receiving the highest ratings, in alphabetical order:

Arizona State, Barrett Honors College
Clemson, Calhoun Honors College
CUNY, Macaulay Honors College
Georgia Honors Program
Houston Honors College
Kansas Honors Program
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Albert Dorman Honors College Oregon, Clark Honors College
Penn State, Schreyer Honors College
South Carolina Honors College
UT Austin Plan II Honors Program

About Macaulay Honors College

Macaulay Honors College at The City University of New York offers exceptional students a uniquely personalized education with access to the vast resources of the nation’s largest urban university and the largest city, New York City. Selected for their top high school records and leadership potential, Macaulay students receive a full tuition scholarship, a laptop and technology support, and an Opportunities Fund to pursue global learning, research and service opportunities. Macaulay students enroll in one of eight CUNY senior colleges: Baruch, Brooklyn, City, Hunter, John Jay, Lehman, and Queens Colleges and the College of Staten Island. For more information, see macaulay.cuny.edu.