LIT ranked #7 in top 50 American community colleges and #1 in Texas, as Forbes Magazine salutes honor

3/23/2021

BEAUMONT – Lamar Institute of Technology has claimed yet another accolade for 2021, having just been named seven in the top 50 out of nearly 1,000 community colleges in the U.S. and number one in Texas by AcademicInfluence.com, as cited by Forbes Magazine in its March 7 issue.

Forbes said of Academic Influence’s first-ever ranking, “The system uses artificial intelligence technology to search massive databases and measure the impact of work by individuals who’ve been affiliated with colleges and universities throughout the world. Its approach is based on the premise that the people affiliated with a school determine its quality.”

How the numbers are formulated
Forbes also stated, “Using machine-learning technology developed with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Academic Influence searches open-source data in two massive sources - Wikipedia and CrossRef - for papers, chapters, books and citations to individuals worldwide. Collectively, these databases contain billions of continuously updated data points about millions of individuals’ achievements.”

“This news is beyond phenomenal”, LIT President Dr. Lonnie L. Howard exclaimed. “The fact that Forbes Magazine recognized this honor and that Academic Influence used these specific metrics solidifies what we as an institution have always believed and upheld--the importance of the people here—faculty, staff and students. We are proud of our LIT family and this latest accomplishment.”

According to Dr. Jed Macosko, academic director of Academic Influence and physics professor at Wake Forest University, the organization examines “how influential the school's faculty is and then factors in the student body size.”

The 'Concentrated Influence' metric
“We call this metric ‘Concentrated Influence.’ Those community colleges with a strong faculty but comparatively fewer students, schools that might otherwise get lost in the shadows of their larger competitors, now have an opportunity to shine,” he said. 
“Because students often choose to attend a school nearby, this kind of illumination provides a truer view of how influential their neighborhood community college may actually be, regardless of its size.”

Macosko added, those students who graduate from a community college “often get a head start in the job market, earning a salary that can help defray the costs of transitioning to a more expensive four-year school. And for some, an associate degree may be all they need.” 

LIT is an "affordable" choice
AcademicInfluence.com said, “The top rated community colleges offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.”

The website said it generates rankings by scanning the web and maps, noting the impact of a school’s thought leadership across various disciplines. Criteria for the schools in this ranking include a minimum of 1,000 enrolled students, full accreditation and exclusively two-year (or associate) degree programs.

For more information about Academic Influence’s national ranking, visit: 50 Best Community Colleges of 2021 | Academic Influence, state ranking: Custom College Rankings | Academic Influence, or see the Forbes’ article here: Academic Influence Ranks The Best Community Colleges, Nationally And By State (forbes.com). To learn about LIT’s programs or enrolling, visit lit.edu/go.