Answer Special Call to Serve - King's College

King’s Earns Place on
CCAP/Forbes List of America’s Best Colleges
King’s has been placed on an exclusive list of
American academic institutions compiled by The
Center for College Affordability and Productivity
for Forbes magazine based on multiple factors related to
affordability and student and faculty achievement.
The list of 600 institutions, which mixes public and private,
baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degree granting, and
liberal arts and research driven entities represents only 15
percent of the nearly 4,000 colleges and universities in
the United States. King’s was the only Luzerne County
college or university included in the list and was the highest
ranking of two institutions (also University of Scranton) in
northeastern Pennsylvania.
King’s was also listed in the top 100 in a regionalized list of
northeastern United States colleges and universities.
King’s was included on the list based on its performance
in seven areas. The areas, listed in order of most weighted
to least, were student evaluations of faculty members, low
four-year debt load for typical student borrowers, four-year
graduation rates, listings of alumni in “Who’s Who in
America,” salaries of alumni, students receiving nationally
competitive awards and faculty receiving awards for
scholarship and creative pursuits.
“Any ranking of colleges
and universities is always
somewhat subjective and
ought never to be seen as a
sole criterion of quality of the
institution” said Father O’Hara. “But I’m proud, and,
frankly, not surprised by the fact that King’s ranks so high
relative to national competition in economic and student
outcome categories that are very important concerns of
high school students and their parents.”
The Center for College Affordability and Productivity,
based in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to research on the
issues of rising costs and efficiency in higher education,
with special emphasis on the United States.
The Forbes distinction is in addition to King’s selection
as a “Best Northeastern College” by the Princeton Review,
a student-survey based measure of quality colleges and
universities. Also, for the ninth consecutive year, King’s
was ranked in the top tier in the Best Universities – Masters
in the Northern United States category by U.S. News &
World Report. King’s rank of 38 th among 179 institutions
in that category makes it the highest ranked college or
university in the Wyoming Valley.
King’s Students Meet Supreme Court Justice
Five King’s students in a new course taught for the
first time this spring traveled to the Supreme Court
in Washington, D.C., a visit that culminated in an
opportunity to talk with one of the Court’s nine justices.
The students, led by Joe Cosgrove, adjunct professor
at King’s, met privately with Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg in her chambers for an hour, discussing law,
the Court and asking specific questions.
Cosgrove, who has taught Constitutional Law courses
at King’s, unveiled a new course, titled “The Essence
of the Supreme Court,” last spring. Enrollment in the
class was limited to five students who expressed a desire
for a law career.
The students also had guest seating at an oral argument
before the Court on mandatory sentencing guidelines, a private
tour, and a presentation on a decision of the Court at the time
of its announcement.
“Whatever I could teach pales in comparison to what the
students could hear from Justice Ginsburg,” said Cosgrove in a
recent interview.
Jessica McDermott, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in
political science and who took Cosgrove’s Constitutional Law
course, came back to King’s to take the Supreme Court class.
Pictured with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (center) is, from left, Jessica
McDermott; Joseph Cosgrove, Esquire; Drew McLaughlin; Caitlyn Tallerico; Amer Elia;
and Stephanie Chesnalavage.
She said it was rewarding to meet Ginsburg and hear her discuss
“how she makes decisions.”
The students visit with Ginsburg came a month after the
Supreme Court Justice had surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.
Cosgrove, who has developed a relationship with Ginsburg
through a mutual friend, described her as “vigorous and
enthusiastic” the day of the visit. He added that he saw “no
indication Justice Ginsburg is ready to retire.”
Later in the semester, the students presented their in-depth
analysis of the case on mandatory sentencing guidelines to the
Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association.
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