Lakeland ranked in `Best Community Colleges’

School is only one of two in Ohio ranked by organization

Lakeland Community College has been recognized as one of the nation’s “Best Community Colleges 2020”.

Lakeland Community College has been recognized as one of the nation’s “Best Community Colleges 2020” by College Consensus, a specialized college ratings website that aggregates publisher rankings and student reviews.

According to the site, Lakeland ranked 36th on the organization’s list of the 50 best community colleges across the country and one of only two ranked in the state of Ohio. Cincinnati State Technical and Community College ranked No. 45.

To identify the Best Community Colleges 2020, College Consensus focused exclusively on regionally accredited, reputable institutions identified as community colleges or technical colleges.

Editors then ranked programs according to three equally-weighted factors:

• Cost — based on current Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System analytics

• Reputation — based on data from Niche

• Success — based on data from PayScale.

With these three factors, College Consensus ranked colleges according to their success in providing a return on investment.

“These are the community colleges that show the best combination of market reputation, educational quality and rewarding income,” the site’s editors stated.

Additionally, College Consensus noted that Lakeland’s online, evening and weekend classes give nontraditional students “the flexibility that some working adults require in order to study.”

It also highlighted Lakeland’s tuition as one of the lowest in Ohio and noted school resources such as a child care center, campus health clinic and Hispanic program.

“We take our role as educators to heart, so we are incredibly honored to be recognized,” said Lakeland President Morris W. Beverage Jr. “Knowing that students trust us to help them build a stable foundation for their future is a privilege.

“We’ll continue to do our very best to provide a highquality — and affordable — education that many families in our community have come to rely on, generation after generation.”

The College Consensus ranking marks the second time this year Lakeland has been recognized nationally.

In January, the college was named No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in Ohio for students reaching educational goals by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the leading publication for the higher education sector, based in Washington, D.C.