Miami among top 100 again in survey that asks: What are colleges doing for the country?

Miami University ranked 13th in the just-released Washington Monthly's 2011 national university college rankings for social mobility — recruiting and graduating low-income students. Miami has ranked in the top 20 for the second year in a row.

The publication looked at nearly 260 schools for their contribution to the public good, rating them in three categories: social mobility, research and service, with specific scores in each. Miami ranked 71st overall, up 10 spots from the 2010 report.

In the social mobility category, Washington Monthly cited 10 percent of Miami’s students as receiving Pell Grants and compared the predicted rate of graduation, 70 percent—based on incoming SAT scores and Pell Grant percentages—versus the actual rate of graduation, 83 percent.

The rankings are in the September/October issue of Washington Monthly.

The publication also recognized Miami in the service category, ranking Miami 26th in community service, participation and hours, as well as a high producer of Peace Corps volunteers, placing 34th on the list.

The community service category added two new areas of measurement: The first is a measure of student participation in community service and the second is a measure of institutional support for service. The new measures are based on data reported to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) by colleges and universities in their applications for the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

In May of this year, Miami University was named a leader in community service by being placed for the fourth year on the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. In the 2009-10 academic year, 13,800 Miami students engaged in community service and 4,000 students participated in at least 20 hours of service per semester, according to Miami’s office for community engagement and service. Miami students contributed 414,000 total service hours.

In an acknowledgment of academics and research opportunities, Miami ranked 55th on the list for percentage of bachelor’s degree recipients who go on to earn doctorates.