June 02, 2016
La Roche College Named College of Distinction
PITTSBURGH, June 2, 2016 – La Roche University recently earned recognition among the nation’s Colleges of Distinction for the fifth consecutive year.
Colleges of Distinction is a website and corresponding e-guidebook dedicated to honoring schools nationwide for their excellence in undergraduate-focused higher education. Schools must demonstrate results across four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. High school counselors and educators make nominations, and each school is evaluated on key indicators including student engagement, student empowerment and curricular innovation.
“We are so happy to award La Roche University for developing skills relevant to graduates’ lives,” Tyson Schritter, executive editor for Colleges of Distinction, said. “High student engagement in college is one of the keys to a successful undergraduate education. With an increasing emphasis on hands-on learning techniques, Colleges of Distinction applauds La Roche University for practicing methodologies that prepare students for their futures.”
The new e-guidebook names La Roche a Pennsylvania College of Distinction and a Catholic College of Distinction. As a liberal arts institution, La Roche emphasizes higher-level skills such as writing, analyzing, collaborating and problem solving. Although professors reserve class time for discussion, experimentation and interaction, learning happens both inside and outside of the classroom.
La Roche students develop valuable skills through transformative experiences such as study abroad courses, internships, service learning, campus engagement, independent research, professional networking and student activities. Through Study Abroad+Study USA, a unique program included in the cost of tuition, students travel abroad or domestically at little or no additional cost. During the 2015-2016 academic year, students studied in Ecuador, Cuba, Los Angeles, Galapagos Islands, Denmark, China, Italy, England and France.
Students also examine social issues and meet the needs of the marginalized by serving as volunteers through the Office of Mission and Ministry. As part of Alternative Spring Break in March 2016, volunteers visited Baltimore, Md., to staff food pantries, upgrade transitional housing and maintain shelters for the homeless.
Colleges of Distinction looks beyond rankings and test scores to find colleges that are the ideal places to learn, grow and succeed. The selection process reviews such factors as the school’s first year experience, general education program, experiential components of the curriculum, the strategic plan, and alumni success and satisfaction. Visit collegesofdistinction.com to view La Roche’s online profile.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts college in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, six graduate degree programs and one doctorate program, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences, as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential college provides a vibrant campus community for more than 1,500 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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