Dalton State College was once again recognized for preparing students for success and civic engagement after graduation while providing a quality education at a great value, according to Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide and Rankings.
Dalton State ranked No. 77 nationally among 244 “Bachelor’s Colleges” and No. 73 for “Best Bang for the Buck” out of 276 colleges and universities in the Southeast. This is the second consecutive year Dalton State has earned the recognitions. The college was also listed among the 205 institutions on the “Best Colleges for Student Voting Honor Roll.”
Washington Monthly’s “Bachelor’s Colleges” rankings are based on the college’s contribution to the “public good” in three categories: social mobility, research and providing opportunities for public service.
“We believe everyone should have access to higher education so it’s no surprise we are recognized for providing a quality education at a good value,” said Dr. Margaret Venable, president of Dalton State. “Success involves more than just the skills students learn in the classroom. When our students graduate, they are prepared to enter careers that fill our local workforce needs and to be good leaders in our community. We want our students to remain engaged in their community whether they stay in Northwest Georgia or move elsewhere.”
“We can see we are making a difference in the lives of our students and for their future careers, but when you are recognized for that work, it validates us and tells us we are on the right path as an institution,” said Dr. Bruno Hicks, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “As this recognition shows, we provide the ‘Best Bang for the Buck’ for our students. I appreciate the hard work and energy that our faculty and staff give our students to provide them with a top-notch education.”
Dalton State is No. 6 nationally for net price, according to Washington Monthly. Most students at Dalton State graduate with no or little student debt because of the college’s low net price and access to financial aid.
“Nearly 70% of our students graduate without student loans while more than 75% of all our students receive financial aid,” said Dr. Jodi Johnson, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “We believe college degrees should be attainable for everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status. We do everything we can here to help students achieve their personal and professional goals, which includes helping students overcome financial hurdles.”
Dalton State also ranks high in service.
“We have a variety of opportunities for students to become involved in service and civic engagement,” Johnson said. “Our students are active volunteers in the community, and we create opportunities to increase voter registration across campus. Our students are not only engaged in the classroom but in the community. We’ve been able to continue that engagement safely through the pandemic.”
Listed on ‘Best Colleges for Student Voting Honor Roll’
Dalton State is routinely recognized by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE) at Tufts University and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for its voter engagement and voting action plan. Data from those organizations was used to create the list of institutions who are committed to increasing student voting.
“Our values as an institution are why we create a campus culture of service, engagement and collaboration,” Johnson said. “The organized effort to increase voter participation is a result of us living out our mission, vision and values.”
The on-campus organization, Students Advocating for Volunteer Efforts (SAVE), recently kicked off a national voter registration drive to encourage the campus community to check, update or begin the voter registration process.
