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Barron's Adds Gonzaga to Its 'Best Buys in College Education' Spring 2007

Gonzaga University has been selected to appear in the Barron's book "Best Buys in College Education." The ninth edition of the book is available in bookstores and online.

Barron's "Best Buys in College Education" provides a tool for students and parents seeking a first-rate education at an affordable price. Schools are chosen for the book based on various criteria, including tuition rates, as well as the results of the questionnaires completed by deans and students. Gonzaga and the other 246 schools chosen for the book "represent the best combination of sound data and student satisfaction," according to Barron's. Schools covered in the book range from publicly supported colleges and universities that are virtually tuition-free to moderated priced private schools that provide high-quality education at bargain prices.

At Gonzaga's entry in the book, located on pages 667-670, the University is lauded for its affordability, eager faculty and concern for students.

The profile for Gonzaga begins with one student's take on Gonzaga's sense of community: "For a great many people, Gonzaga becomes home." The book comments on the University's diverse nature. "The Gonzaga community consists of students who are liberal as well as conservative, city-dwellers and country folk, fervent partygoers and full-time studiers, and members who remain as apathetic as others become overinvolved." Overall, undergraduate students are known for their outgoing nature. "With such a small campus, it's not impossible to know everyone . . . and people actually make the attempt!" remarked a recent GU graduate.

Academically, Gonzaga's core curriculum, faculty and small class sizes set the school apart. A mechanical engineering major told Barron's that the core curriculum "has helped to broaden [his] perspective of the world as a place where not only money matters, but where culture also has a vital role." The faculty are known for inspiring students to think for themselves and get past their textbooks. Popular majors include engineering, English, history and political science. Barron's also notes the robust campus life in Spokane, as well as Gonzaga's numerous study-abroad options, including Gonzaga-in-Florence (Italy).

Sunday evening Masses, spiritual "search" retreats, and many other retreats and pilgrimages are popular with students as is community service. In one Zag's words, "I'm excited about Gonzaga's emphasis on social justice. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer my time and energies." Barron's does not overlook GU's Division I men's basketball team, which has appeared in the NCAA tournament the last eight years. The bottom line, according to the publication, is that Gonzaga "fosters an atmosphere of diversity and free opinion, with the Catholic perspective in the background. The Jesuit liberal arts education is invaluable, and the attitude conveyed to students is one of caring and nurturing."