Princeton Review Recognizes Scranton Science Labs, Service engagement

Students say Scranton professors take an investment in each individual and truly care about their students in The Princeton Review Best 390 Colleges.
The Princeton Review selected The University of Scranton among “The Best 390 Colleges” in the nation and ranked Scranton No.17 in the country for “Best Science Lab Facilities,” No. 23 for “Students Most Engaged in Community Service,” and No. 23 in the country for “Best-Run Colleges

The Princeton Review has named The University of Scranton as one of the best colleges in the nation for the 23rd consecutive year. The well-known college guidebook also ranked Scranton among the “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 17) in the country. This is the eighth year Scranton has made this national list of just 25 schools deemed to have the finest laboratory facilities.

The Princeton Review also ranked the school No. 23 in the nation for “Students Most Engaged in Community Service” and No. 23 in the country for “Best-Run Colleges.”

Students quoted by The Princeton Review praise the University’s outstanding facilities, approachable faculty and supportive alumni network.

Students noted the investment the University has made in laboratory and simulation spaces that resulted in “academic buildings [that] are the greatest strength of the school because most have nice classrooms and places to study that foster learning.”

The students also mentioned the small class sizes, capped at around 35 students, that ensure “the professor [is] able to know your name and take an investment in each individual.” According to Princeton Review, many Scranton students describe professors as being “very easy to reach” and “truly [caring] about their students.”

Students also said that alumni can be counted on to keep looking out for Scranton students and graduates, which the Princeton Review credited for helping to explain the University’s consistently high 99 percent graduate job-placement rate.

Scranton is among just 14 percent of schools in the nation to be listed in the 2025 edition of the “Best 390 Colleges” guidebook to be selected and recommended by The Princeton Review as one of the top colleges in the country.

The Princeton Review does not include an overall ranking of the schools selected as the best in the country, however they do publish rankings of schools in 50 categories based on results of their surveys of 168,000 students at the 390 colleges included in the book. Information from the surveys is also used in the profiles included about each school in the publication.

The 2025 edition of the guidebook published online on Aug. 27.

In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 30 consecutive years, placing the University No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” its 2024 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook.

Apply today for a Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Grant

Does your organization provide work in any of the following areas?

  • Environmental and/or Local Parks Projects
  • Facility Improvement for Animal Welfare
  • Homeless Programs

Grants are available through the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) grants program.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is accepting requests for proposals for the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) grants program. Applications will be accepted from charitable organizations in Lackawanna County through Friday, January 15, 2022.

What is the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) grants program?

Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) is a youth leadership program of Leadership Lackawanna that provides high school juniors with the opportunity to meet with community leaders and decision-makers. In addition to leadership development, the students are also required to complete a philanthropy curriculum conducted by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. TLT seeks to help participants realize what they can do to make a difference in their community as young philanthropists and to further develop their leadership skills.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is proud to partner with Leadership Lackawanna in introducing the concept of philanthropy and grantmaking to our region’s youth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation allocates funding for the TLT class to grant. Priority areas are chosen by the TLT students. In 2022, grants will be provided to organizations working to make a difference in the following Priority Areas: Environmental and/or Local Parks Projects Facility Improvement for Animal Welfare Homeless Programs Grant applications for the TLT grants program are available through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s online grant management portal. The maximum grant amount awarded per grant for a 2022 TLT grant is $2,000.

Applications will be accepted from charitable organizations in Lackawanna County through Friday, January 15, 2022.

Apply

To submit an application, you will need to first create an account in our online grant management portal if your organization has not already done so. Please email grants@safdn.org with questions.

Leadership Lackawanna Core Team Celebrates Keystone Mission Project

Leadership Lackawanna Core class members meet with Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and Justin Behrens, executive director, Keystone Mission.
Front row, left to right: Justin Marino of United Neighborhood Centers; Mayor Paige Cognetti, City of Scranton; Vivian Williams, Scranton Area Foundation; Justin Behrens, Keystone Mission; Meredith Mercuri, Barry Callebaut; Jennifer Shoemaker, Outreach Center for Community Resources; Robert Welsch, Tobyhanna Army Depot; and Michelle Cook, Community Bank, N.A.
Back row, left to right: Jesse Novatski, Penn State Scranton; and Patrick Keehan, University of Scranton Small Business Development Center.

One of this year’s Leadership Lackawanna Core Program teams recently celebrated their community service project for Keystone Mission in Scranton.

Homeless individuals without identification have difficulty accessing the critical services and benefits that can move them out of homelessness and poverty. To help Keystone Mission serve these individuals, the Leadership team worked with the organization to design, outfit, and equip a utility van that provides opportunities for homeless individuals to receive photo identification, social security cards, and birth certificates. 

This “mobile office” van is stocked with essential items, but more importantly, allows the Keystone Mission staff to conduct on-site outreach to homeless individuals. The team marketed the van to the community, secured community partners to obtain more supplies, and secured donations to pay for the project.

“On behalf of Team Keystone, I would like to thank all our community members who generously donated their time, items, and resources to this great cause. It has been our pleasure working with Keystone Mission in assisting them to be able to do such important work in our community,” said Justin Marino, Core Program participant from Team Keystone.

Each year, the Leadership Lackawanna Core Program class completes various service projects helping to fulfill a need in our community. By working with fellow non-profit organizations, class participants expand their leadership abilities and further develop their skills.

“I am truly thankful to the Leadership Lackawanna class of 2021 for supporting our effort to build relationships and a community of hope across NEPA. To help the homeless men and women takes the community to come together. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!” said Justin Behrens, CEO, Keystone Mission.