New National Rankings Show TSU Education “Best for Your Buck” When it Comes to Career Outcome

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When it comes to educational attainment with a good career outcome, Tennessee State is certainly the place to be.

For the second year straight, the University has been listed as one of the top four-year schools in the nation that offers the best return on investment.

Educate to Career, a national non-profit that helps high school students and parents make informed, objective college and career planning decisions, has ranked TSU No. 76 in its ETC College Rankings Index.

No other Tennessee four-year institution ranked in the top 100 of the more than 1,200 schools on the list compiled by ETC, which describes its rankings as an effort to deliver on the promise of the federal government’s College Scorecard by providing “actual college outcomes data.”

According to the ETC, the Index analyzes the quality of students when they enter a given college, the total costs related to attending the college, and the outcomes of the students when they enter the labor market. The rankings results are determined by which schools did the best job of improving the earnings and attainment of quality employment of their students.

“The Index empirically determines the economic value added by each of the over 1,200 colleges ranked within our system,” said Michael R. Havis, founder of Educate to Career. “We calculate the improvement in earnings and employability of persons who attended specific colleges, relative to persons who are similarly situated in other colleges.”

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked first on the list.

“Not so surprisingly,” Havis concluded, “local public colleges tend to offer the best value in a college education based on our criteria.”

Last year, the College Database, a free, non-commercial website that provides future and post-secondary students and their families with “accurate and valuable” college and career-related information, gave TSU a top ranking among colleges and universities in Tennessee with tuition rates below $20,000.

Saying that the University offers the best return on financial investment when compared to other post-secondary institutions in the state, the CD also said that TSU graduates enter the workforce at an even higher earning average of $42,000 per year, the best among all the other Tennessee institutions.

If these reports are any indication, then TSU is fulfilling its mission to graduate job-ready students, University officials say.

“I can assure you that Tennessee State University is in the forefront of providing job-ready students who are capable to compete for the best jobs anywhere in the world,” TSU President Glenda Glover said during a groundbreaking ceremony on campus last year.

She challenged potential employers to look to TSU to supply graduates who are ready for the job market.

In May of the same year, and immediately after the President’s pronouncement, the institution reported that among its core program offerings were preparations for four of the nation’s top 11 “Best Jobs” as reported in the U.S. News 100 Best Jobs of 2013. These jobs – registered nurse, physical therapist, dental hygienist and occupational therapist – the report showed, “offer a mosaic of employment opportunity, good salary, manageable-work-life balance, and job security.”

Karon Uzzell-Baggett, director of the TSU Career Development Center, upon hearing of the ETC ranking for the University, described it as “truly well deserved.”

“This is all a result of our continuing efforts to work with faulty, staff and the administration to prepare students and new alumni to succeed in the global workforce,” Uzzell-Baggett said.  “We appreciate the partnerships of dedicated employers who have been with us for years and welcome new partners interested in diverse talent.”

Touting the reliability of its listing, ETC referred to the College Ranking Index as a compilation of facts, to be used as benchmarking data when selecting a college and major. It added that the same data are used by thousands of college career centers and career planners, higher education advocacy organizations, student loan servicers, corporate recruiters, and more than 4,800 employers.

“Young people are entitled to reliable facts upon which to make informed decisions regarding college selection,” Havis said. “ETC is interested in real-world outcomes for college graduates – based on their majors and the colleges that they graduated from.”

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