Illinois Institute of Technology Named 'College of Distinction'

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is now featured in Colleges of Distinction, a new college guide profiling some of America’s best bets in higher education. Based on the opinions of guidance counselors, educators, and admissions professionals, Colleges of Distinction honors colleges that excel in key areas of educational quality.

“This is a great honor for any college,” explains Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent, chief editor for the publication. “The schools in this book are some of the very best in the country. Some are household names, some are ‘hidden gems’ what they all share is that they are all great places to get an education.”

In order to qualify for inclusion, IIT was evaluated for its performance in the guide’s four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes. “These are areas that really matter to students,” said McClelland-Nugent.

IIT will be extensively profiled in a forthcoming book, Colleges of Distinction, to be published later this year. It is also featured on this Web site, www.collegesofdistinction.com.

College seekers can visit the site to learn more about the colleges, read tips from high school guidance counselors, and essays from college students, presidents, and other members of different campus communities. “This website makes it simple for students, parents, and guidance counselors to learn about the college search process,” says Dr. O’Neal Turner, Director of College Counseling at the Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana.

The colleges and universities listed in the guide include schools from every area of the country. Their average faculty-student ratio is 13:1, and most have an average class size of around 20. The schools vary in size from universities of 7,000 to small liberal arts colleges of 1,000 or fewer students.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.