Rowan University is one of the fastest-growing public universities in the country. That growth is getting recognized by the national media, particularly U.S. News. The U.S. News article has ranked Rowan University 92nd of the top 100 Public Universities in the nation.

The U.S. News World Report has been ranking public universities across the United States since 1983. They break it down into two separate categories, regional schools, and national research schools, and each are ranked using many different criteria that they think are significant. 

Some of these criteria are graduation rates, first-year retention rates, graduation rate performance, peer assessment, and faculty resources. Those rankings cover many different fields such as business, law, medicine, engineering, education, and social sciences. 

Rowan has done notable work in regard to growing as a university on a local scale in New Jersey and a national scale in America, as shown in this report.

Anthony Lowman is the provost of the university. 

“We haven’t been on the national scene as long as some other people, so we need to do a better job of telling our story of the university, and I think that we’ll continue to grow,” Lowman said. “If I had to say the thing that I am most proud of, I think it’s that our graduation and retention metrics keep improving. That’s a sign of quality.”

An effect of the continued progress being made by Rowan can be investing in the classroom, continuing to increase the funding for students, and giving students better advising, counseling, or career services. Rowan continues to make advancements in bettering those tools provided to the students.

“It is something we are proud of as we continue our growth. We continue growing on the national stage. Continue to grow the quality of the programs we offer and the quality of our graduates,” Lowman said. 

More progress can be made in the future on Rowan’s behalf to better the education and resources given to students so that they can succeed in the classroom and graduate.

Joe Cardona is the vice president of university relations. 

“You have to be true with what your mission is, and we are always striving to do the best we can do for our students,” Cardona said. “Not only are we doing well as far as research, but we also keep a sharp focus on providing an affordable and quality undergraduate education.”

One aspect that Rowan wants to continue to get better at is their research. There are three different tiers of public research universities: R1, R2, and R3, with R1 being one of the best research universities in the nation.  At this moment, Rowan is ranked as an R2 research university. At the rate Rowan is progressing, the university will likely become an R1 research university in the future.

“Our goal is to have as many students graduate and be as successful as possible. We are going to do everything in our control to do things that we think are important,” Lowman said. “For me, it’s the outcome of students like you. Having you get out of here with a degree, relatively affordable, and you having the job that we prepared you for. That’s our goal.”