Academic Awards and Recognition
How the Higher Ed Community Judges Academic Quality
Roanoke College is a Phi Beta Kappa institution.While students and parents often rely on guidebooks for opinions on colleges, we find that professors, deans and higher ed insiders usually look for the presence of a Phi Beta Kappa honor society chapter when judging an institution's academic quality. The reason? Phi Beta Kappa uses the most stringent qualifying criteria of any honor society, guidebook or reviewer.
Only about seven percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. have the academic credentials to host a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Among them are Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.
Roanoke College is proud to be among this elite group of colleges and universities.
Roanoke College’s Quality is Recognized by Guidebooks and Magazines
- The Princeton Review ranks Roanoke as one of the "Best in the Southeast."
- U.S. News & World Report ranks Roanoke as a nationally notable liberal arts college.
- Washington Monthly ranked Roanoke College in their Best U.S. College and University Programs listing.
- Campus Activities Magazine recognized Roanoke as the "2009 Campus of the Year" for student activity programming.
- The Templeton Guide: Colleges That Encourage Character Development describes Roanoke as an "exemplary program."
- G.I. Jobs magazine recognized Roanoke as a "military friendly school."
- The College Finder lists Roanoke in its "Colleges for the Friendly Student."
- Men's Fitness magazine ranks Roanoke as the "19th Fittest College in America"
Phi Beta Kappa - Qualifying Institutions in Virginia
College of William and Mary
Hampden-Sydney College
Hollins University
Mary Baldwin College
Randolph College
Randolph-Macon College
Roanoke College
Sweet Briar College
University of Mary Washington
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
Washington & Lee University
Notable Recognitions and Accomplishments
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Roanoke's business administration and economics department is one of only 5% of all colleges and universities in the United States accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). |
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Roanoke College student Geoffrey Bader was selected in 2008 to receive a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the American Society of Plant Biologists. |
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Dr. Gerald McDermott, professor of religion, is the co-author of Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate, a book about how Mormons and evangelical Christians see Jesus differently. |
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Roanoke alumnus John Scherer '62 has been recognized as one of America's Top 100 Thought Leaders in Personal Excellence by the editor's of Personal Excellence magazine. |
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Alumna and Trustee Dr. Carol M. Swain was nominated by President George W. Bush to the National Council on the Humanities. |
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Thirteen Roanoke students presented their research discoveries at Middle Atlantic Regional Conference of Undergraduate Scholarship (MARCUS) and impressed faculty of other institutions with their performance. |
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Roanoke College's Chemistry Department is designated an "approved program" by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Graduation from an ACS-approved department is a mark of distinction for our students due to the high quality standards required. All students who complete our B.S. Chemistry degree are certified by the American Chemical Society. |
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Dr. Joshua Rubongoya, professor of international politics, recently won the 2006 African Politics Conference Group's Best Book Award for his book, Regime Hegemony in Museveni's Uganda: Pax Musevenica. |
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Dr. Laura O' Toole, professor of sociology at Roanoke College, collaborated with Jessica Schiffman, assistant director of women's studies at the University of Delaware and Margie Kiter Edwards, assistant professor of sociology at Shepherd University, to revise Gender Violence: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, an anthology about gendered violence in the United States and abroad. |
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The athletic training major is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). CAATE is sponsored by The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA). |
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Jake Bennett, 2008 valedictorian, was named a 2007 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. Bennett was one of 317 Goldwater Scholars who were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,110 mathematics, science and engineering students nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide |
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God's Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions-Insights from the Bible and the Early Church, published in January 2007, Dr. Gerald McDermott of Roanoke College's Religion and Philosophy department explores diverse answers to a question he's had for several years. |
Professor's Computer Knowledge Enlightens Schools
As an artist and professor, Heil's work and teaching develops along with advancements in computer graphics.
Facilities Showcase
Get a closer look at the exceptional facilities available to students at Roanoke College.
