WAVE Magazine 2019 - 2020 | Page 7

JU Achieves Highest-Ever Best Colleges Ranking Jacksonville University achieved its highest ranking in school history in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges Rankings, jumping nearly 30 spots to place 28th among 136 schools in the Regional Universities South category. The University also made the list of Best Nursing Schools for its Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Nursing programs, and the Speech- Language Pathology program was recognized among the best in the region. Demonstrating how the University’s focus on the future is paying present dividends, JU also improved its positions in the Best Colleges for Veterans and Best Value Schools rankings. For the first time, U.S. News factored graduation rates for first-generation college students into its ranking methodology and added a new ranking called Top Performers on Social Mobility. The new ranking “evaluates which schools best serve under-represented students” and analyzes enrollment and graduation rates of low-income students with Pell Grants as a proxy. U.S. News named JU a top performer (9th) in social mobility. U.S. News & World Report, which released its results in September 2019, also ranked JU: • 16 (38 last year) in Best Colleges for Veterans • 38 (48 last year) in Best Value Schools • 42 in Best Online Nursing Graduate Programs Delta Air Lines Partners with JU to Launch Aviator Careers In line with its mission to prepare students for life-long success, achievement and leadership, in August 2019 Jacksonville University announced a partnership with Delta Air Lines to mentor and develop the most talented students in the premier School of Aviation through the Delta Propel Pilot Career Path program. “For more than 30 years, Jacksonville University has graduated some of the finest professional pilots in the world, many of whom have gone on to fly for Delta,” said Capt. Matthew Tuohy, Director of the School of Aviation. “We are honored Delta Air Lines recognized our aviation school as one of the best in the U.S. and selected it for the elite Delta Propel program.” Delta Propel was launched in 2018 in partnership with eight universities to cultivate the next generation of pilots. In 2019, Delta expanded this industry-leading program with a limited number of world- class aviation programs, including Jacksonville University. The program complements the traditional, existing paths to becoming a Delta pilot – an honor reserved for only the most exceptional professional pilots. “While we have an incredibly talented and highly skilled team of pilots already in place, we are always preparing for the future,” said Jim Graham, Delta’s Senior Vice President of Flight Operations. “Propel is an additional avenue for Delta to proactively identify, select and develop the next generation of Delta pilots, and we are excited to partner with Jacksonville University and offer the Propel Program to their students.” NEWS 7