University of the PACIFIC

University of the Pacific was named one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education by The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company features Pacific in the 2010 edition of its annual book, "The Best 371 Colleges," which was released today.

This is the second time this summer that Pacific was named in a top college guide. In June, the Fiske Guide named Pacific as one of 44 "Best Buys" for college students in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.

"While we have not seen the surveys, it's clear from the student comments in the guide that Pacific students appreciate our small class sizes, campus atmosphere, faculty engagement and student body diversity," said Robert Alexander, associate provost for enrollment. "We pride ourselves on the personal attention we give all our students, and it's clear that our students recognize the exceptional quality of education they receive here."

Quotes from Pacific students in this year's edition praised the faculty, said the academics were "great" and "If you ever have any questions, there's always someone there to answer them and help you out academically and socially." Others said Pacific is "a school that you can be proud of going to." Students also said that Pacific's many social clubs and Greek organizations, the endless opportunities to volunteer in the community, and the general friendly nature of the campus made it a fun place to study.

The University also was listed as one of the colleges with "More to Do on Campus" along with Stanford, Duke and Notre Dame Universities. That ranking was based on responses from students in a Princeton Review survey.

Only about 15% of America's 2,500 four-year colleges are in the book. It has two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 62 categories. The Princeton Review also posts the book's ranking lists on its website, http:// www. PrincetonReview.com. The publication does not rank the schools numerically.