Accolades are nothing new for the University of Maine at Farmington.

For eight straight years, U.S. News & World Reports has listed the school among America’s best, small, public colleges.

With the publication in March of “Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter,” UMF takes its place as one of 20 institutions that are models for promoting student success.

The authors of the book, George Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, John Schuh and Elizabeth Whitt, used statistical analysis and visits to the schools to judge graduation rates and student engagement. They also analyzed data from the National Survey of Student Engagement and ranked schools that performed better than expected in five areas: academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student interaction with the faculty, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment. The authors interviewed faculty, staff and students, and observed their behavior on campus.

“What sets these 20 schools and other educationally effective institutions apart from the majority is how well they implement their programs and practices, and the meaningful ways one or many of these initiatives have touched a large number of students,” the authors write.

Speaking specifically about UMF, the authors say the school uses out-of-class activities to enhance student learning and also credits visionary leaders who have pointed the way to success.

In an interview with Inside Higher Ed published May 18, Kuh also talked about the importance of admissions.

“Another way to better calibrate reward systems so they complement student success is to recruit the right people and then socialize them in ways that are consistent with the institution’s values and educational purposes. This is a long-term strategy and you can see some of the benefits by looking at what California State University at Monterey Bay and University of Maine at Farmington have done in this regard,” Kuh said. “The goal is to achieve an appropriate balance in the context of the institution’s mission, and striving to maintain that balance.”

The others schools mentioned in the book are: Alverno College, California State University-Monterey Bay, The Evergreen University, Fayetteville State University, George Mason University, Gonzaga University, Longwood University, Macalester College, Miami University; Sewanee: University of the South, Sweet Briar College, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, University of Texas at El Paso, Ursinus College, Wabash College, Wheaton College, Winston-Salem State University and Wofford College.

UMF is a special place with its focus in the right place: on student achievement. While the school continues to strive for improvement, already its achievements make it a model other schools can use to improve their own performance.

That’s something the faculty, staff, student body and community should be proud of.