Troy, N.Y. — For the eighth year in a row, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been counted among the top 50 universities in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. The Institute was ranked 44th among all national universities and listed as one of the top 25 colleges in the publication’s “Great Schools, Great Prices” category.

Rensselaer’s undergraduate engineering program continues to be rated among the top 20 in the country. Among the engineering specialties, the Institute was ranked 18th in mechanical engineering, 19th in civil engineering, and 22nd in chemical engineering.

The Lally School of Management & Technology climbed two spots in the rankings this year from 60th to 58th, and the entrepreneurship program at Rensselaer was ranked 21st in the nation.

The rankings appear in the magazine’s Aug. 27 issue and in the 2008 edition of the “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook. This year’s guidebook also features a story highlighting Rensselaer’s initiatives in undergraduate research. The article, which is titled “Where Lab Projects Rule,” is part of a section about the best universities in the Northeast for studying science and technology.

“We are proud that Rensselaer is ranked among the elite 50 universities in the nation,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “Guided by The Rensselaer Plan, we have made, and will continue to make, significant investments in our faculty, facilities, and research to provide our students with a world-class educational experience. It is their talents, achievements, and innovations that are the true indicators of our success as a top-tier technological research university with global reach and global impact.”

In addition to academic rankings, Rensselaer’s First-Year Experience program was highlighted by U.S.News & World Report as a “Program to Look For.”

Aimed at encouraging students to build healthy and meaningful bonds with each other that will sustain them through four years of academically challenging coursework, the First-Year Experience initiative at Rensselaer includes programs such as the Tuesday Night Toolbox student success series, residence hall programming, and various academic student support initiatives offered by Rensselaer faculty, staff, and upper-class students.

Created under The Rensselaer Plan in 2002, the Institute began welcoming incoming, first-year students to campus early to allow them to participate in a series of events, team-building adventures, and festivities — called Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond — designed to lessen the stress and help make the transition to college life comfortable.

 One outgrowth of the First-Year Experience initiative has been an increase in the Institute’s graduation and retention rates. In the 2008 edition of the U.S.News & World Report rankings, Rensselaer’s graduation and retention rank is the best it has ever been at 37th.

“A strong commitment to expanding the curriculum, providing students with state-of-the-art facilities, and a renewed focus on the undergraduate student experience have truly strengthened Rensselaer’s position as a top-tier university,” said Provost Robert E. Palazzo. “Our ranking in U.S.News & World Report is a testament and a tribute to the progress we have made under the visionary strategic plan President Jackson has led over the past eight years.”

Among its list of innovative and interdisciplinary programs, Rensselaer will offer students the option to pursue bachelor’s degrees in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences and Design, Innovation, and Society beginning in fall 2007.

Rensselaer’s new Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies will soon be joined by the forthcoming Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) – which is already drawing the attention of artists and scientists from around the world — and the East Campus Athletic Village, which will dramatically improve campus sports facilities, expand athletic opportunities, and enhance the overall student experience.

Construction on that project, which will include a multipurpose stadium with artificial turf field, a 1,200-seat gymnasium and arena, improvements and an addition to the Houston Field House, a strength and conditioning center, an administrative center, indoor pool, outdoor tennis courts, and indoor sports facility complete with track and tennis courts, is slated to begin this month.