LAKELAND (Sept. 13, 2011) – Florida Southern College earned the exceptional placement of the No. 2 Regional College in the South by the U.S. News & World Report College Guide.  The 2012 guide was released today. FSC improved its ranking from No. 8 in last year’s College Guide, an indication that the College is achieving its long-range goal of educational excellence, said President Anne B. Kerr.

“It’s a wonderful external validation of the quality education that takes place each and every day, in each and every classroom, athletic facility, and residence life hall at Florida Southern. Our strategic plan is focused on achieving the highest level of excellence in every facet of college operations, and I am very gratified that impressive national publications are recognizing the quality of Florida Southern College,” Dr. Kerr said.

FSC was ranked No. 2 out of 62 Regional Colleges in 12 Southern states, and it was the best in Florida in that category, ahead of Flagler College and Southeastern University. A Regional College is defined by the College Guide as one that focuses mostly on undergraduate education in the liberal arts, business, and education.

Florida Southern received an overall score of 96 and ranked first in its Peer Assessment Score in the measurements used by the College Guide to determine rankings. Dr. Kerr said the Peer Assessment scores, given by senior college administrators, were likely influenced by FSC receiving the 2010 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education and by accomplishments such as the opening of the Roberts Academy, an elementary school dedicated to preparing talented students with dyslexia to succeed in a traditional classroom setting.

The 2012 Princeton Review recently named Florida Southern the Most Beautiful College Campus in America, and Architectural Digest placed it among the Top Ten College Campuses in the country. The College has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures in the world.