FORBES MAGAZINE heralded UM as one of the Top 10 “IQ Campuses” in the nation. The magazine praised UM and Missoula for quality of life characteristics and the mix of intellectuals, international students and immigrants. The list was adapted from a new book, “Life 2.0: How People Across America Are Transforming Their Lives by Finding the Where of Their Happiness” by Richard Karlgaard.

UM RANKED 10th nationally among medium-sized institutions on the Peace Corps’ 2004 list of “Top Producing Colleges and Universities.” With 35 alumni volunteers in the Peace Corps, UM was ranked among colleges with undergraduate enrollments between 5,001 and 15,000. The ranking placed UM ahead of institutions such as Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard. At left, UM Peace Corps volunteers Tammy Mildenstein and Sam Stier help an exotic bat while on assignment in the Philippines.

ROTC CADETS gave their personal best to secure the No. 9 slot on the U.S. Army’s list of the top programs in the nation. The rankings are based on cadet performance and how well each school meets its mission, as well as how student performance stacks up against counterparts at other colleges in the nation. Students also are judged on academics and their performances at National Advanced Leadership Camp, which they attend during the summer.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED On Campus acknowledged what 24,000 Griz fans already knew — Washington-Grizzly Stadium is one great place to watch football. The magazine that covers college sports and collegiate lifestyles named Montana No. 25 on its top 25 list of the best college sports towns in the nation. UM was the only I-AA university to make the cut. The magazine noted UM’s tailgate area along the Clark Fork River as “the site of ‘A River Runs Through It.'”

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UM IS ONE of the nation’s top institutions for undergraduate education, a great buy and an excellent place to become a good citizen, according to three new books by The Princeton Review. UM is profiled in the 2005 edition of “The Nation’s Best 357 Colleges,” included among the 77 schools in the 2004 edition of “America’s Best Value Colleges” and featured among 81 schools in the upcoming “Colleges With a Conscience: An Engaged Student’s Guide to College.”

COSMOGIRL! NAMED UM one of the 50 best places for young women to go to college. The magazine surveyed colleges and universities in the United States to come up with its list of institutions that provide an environment that “gives girls the best chance of success in school and after graduation.” CosmoGIRL! based its ranking on criteria that included small class size, prominent female faculty members, strong women’s sports and recreation programs, and a career center that facilitates internship opportunities.