Lakehead University Number One in Canada for "Value-Added"
(Thunder Bay -- November 10, 2003) Lakehead University ranks number one in Canada for "Value-Added" in Maclean's annual university ranking issue 2003, and retains its 17th spot in the Primarily Undergraduate University category. "Value-Added" measures the entering average of students and two measures of student achievement: the proportion who graduate and the number of students receiving national awards.
"It may sound trite, but our students are the priority at Lakehead University. Our continued leadership in the "Value-Added" category proves that Lakehead sees and treats students as individuals - not as numbers," says Dr. Fred Gilbert, President of Lakehead University. "Lakehead University offers students an exceptional learning experience, excellent faculty, dedicated staff, quality academic programs, access to superior communications technology, smart classrooms and computer facilities, and a vibrant campus life within a spectacular Northwestern Ontario environment."
Lakehead's "Value-Added" standing confirms what students already know about the University. Surveys of undergraduate students at Lakehead show that 9 out of 10 are satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of their education at the University, and they indicate a higher than average level of satisfaction with the average size of classes; library facilities; study space; and personal counselling services.
"It is important to recognize that the Maclean's survey is primarily an input survey, rather than an output survey, and if it were an output survey, I would expect Lakehead to be at or near the top of the overall rankings, not 17th," says Dr. Gilbert. "Lakehead measures its own performance by the quality of its graduates and the excellent education they receive while they are students here. The fact that Lakehead is above the Ontario university average with 97% of our graduates employed two years after leaving the University, is an indication that Lakehead attracts good students and positions them well in the competitive job market. Employers understand the quality of education we provide our students."
"Lakehead's number-one standing in the "Value-Added" category illustrates the quality of the educational experience at Lakehead," says Dr. Jane Birkholz, Vice-Provost (Student Affairs). "It is a product of the value we add to the community as well as to the students and faculty who work and study here. This is the case today, it was the case last year and will be the case next year, regardless of where we place in the overall Maclean's ranking."
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Contact: Marla Tomlinson, Lakehead University, 807-343-8177