ASU was named the No. 1 "most innovative" university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for the seventh consecutive year in a row.
The top five schools for innovation this year, excluding ASU, include Georgia State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University.
U.S. News and World Report ranks universities based on "the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities," according to the U.S. News Most Innovative Schools Methodology.
Executive Vice President and University Provost, Nancy Gonzales, attributes the success of students to the innovation of the University's programs and experiences.
"It is our mission to not only maintain a multitude of opportunities for our students, but to continue to innovate and support strategic initiatives that drive the success of our academic community of students and scholars," Gonzales said in an interview with ASU Now.
The University also improved its ranking in best undergraduate business programs from last year's spot of 24, to 23. ASU is now tied with seven other schools and ranked higher than Boston College, John Hopkins University and UA.
Additionally, ASU improved its ranking in best undergraduate teaching from last year's ranking of 16 to 10. According to the Best Undergraduate Teaching Rankings Methodology, the ranking focuses on "schools whose faculty and administrators are committed to teaching undergraduate students in a high-quality manner."
For the third year in a row, the University placed No. 10 for first-year experiences, ahead of Princeton University, Brown University and Baylor University, and tied with Bard College and Colorado College.
In the report, the University went down in rankings for overall best national universities and top public schools. Last year, ASU placed 103 for overall best national universities. Now, the University is named No. 117.
Similarly, ASU went down from 46 to 54 in top public schools and is currently tied with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, University of South Carolina and University of Vermont.
"This past year and a half has been a time of great challenges. It has tested our creativity, our resilience and our humanity," University President Michael Crow told ASU Now.
"Through it all, the university community persevered and innovated in order to continue to be of service," Crow told ASU Now. "As we have done and will continue to do, we pulled together in novel ways to keep our mission of access, excellence and impact moving forward. This recognition reflects that determination, which is emblematic of the Sun Devil Spirit."
Reach the reporter at dtrujil8@asu.edu and follow @its_dani24 on Twitter.
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