U.S. News Best Colleges 2011

This year, Harvard University regained sole possession of the top spot in U.S.News & World Report's Best Colleges 2011 rankings of national universities. Last year, Harvard and Princeton University tied for first, but Princeton fell to second in the 2011 rankings of these large, research-oriented institutions. Williams College can once again boast that it's the nation's top-ranked national liberal arts college -- a category of schools that place a higher emphasis on undergraduate education -- as it ranked a spot ahead of fellow Massachusetts liberal arts school Amherst College for the second consecutive year.



[Scroll down to see the top 10 national universities for 2011.]

This marks the 27th year that U.S. News has published college rankings. Though the top-ranked schools garner much acclaim, the rankings aren't produced simply to benefit students who are considering attending institutions like Harvard and Williams. U.S. News uses its array of college data to provide insight to students of various academic and socioeconomic backgrounds. There is a list of the best schools for B students, rankings of historically black colleges and universities, as well as rankings of the most diverse national universities. And though the worst of the financial crisis seems to have passed, finding value in the increasingly expensive world of higher education is still one of the most important -- if not the most important -- factors in choosing a school. To meet that need, U.S. News has compiled best value lists for national universities and national liberal arts colleges, which rank schools based on the average cost of attending -- after need-based grants are taken into account -- relative to their academic ranking.

The National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges lists are just two of several sets of rankings that are a part of U.S. News's evaluation of Best Colleges. Regional colleges and universities, which tend to draw heavily from their local area, and tend to have sparse doctoral program offerings, are ranked separately. Villanova University, Rollins College, Creighton University, and Trinity University are the top-ranked Regional Universities -- schools that offer degrees up to the master's level and were ranked as "Master's Universities" in the past -- in the North, South, Midwest and West, respectively. The top-ranked Regional Colleges -- schools that offer bachelor's degrees and were classified as "Baccalaureate Colleges" in previous rankings -- are the United States Coast Guard Academy in the North, Ouachita Baptist University in the South, Taylor University in the Midwest, and the United States Air Force Academy in the West.

Though California's public educational system is plagued by financial unrest and budget cutbacks, two of the state's schools are ranked as the top public national universities. The University of California -- Berkeley, which is the 22nd ranked national university, is the top-ranked public school, followed by the University of California -- Los Angeles. Rounding out the top five publics: University of Virginia, University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor, and the University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill.

Though schools at the top of the rankings deserve praise for their sterling academic standards, they shouldn't receive all of the credit. U.S. News asked college administrators to name schools they believe to have made sharp improvements to their academics and campus facilities. Based on the results, U.S. News ranked the top "Up and Comers" across several categories. The University of Maryland -- Baltimore County was determined to be the fastest-improving national university and Hendrix College earned top billing for National Liberal Arts Colleges. The best up-and-coming Regional Universities are Wagner College in the North, Elon University in the South, Butler University in the Midwest and Abilene Christian University in the West.

Australia's Queensland faces 'biblical' flood

The clean-up has begun in areas where waters have receded

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A senior official has warned of the economic impact of flooding in Queensland, Australia, describing the disaster as one of "biblical proportions".

State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said that on top of recovery costs, the state would receive less income because of damage to the mining sector.
Flood waters are continuing to encroach on Rockhampton, a city of 77,000.
The floods have affected about 200,000, thousands of whom have been evacuated.
An estimated 22 towns have been left isolated or inundated by the rising waters over an area larger than France and Germany.
'Huge cost' There are concerns that damage could cost billions of Australian dollars to repair.

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QUEENSLAND

• North-eastern Australian state
• Largely tropical climate
• Area: 1.73 million sq km (668,000 sq mile)
• Coastal regions, including Great Barrier Reef, designated World Heritage Site
• Mining and cattle ranching important inland

Mr Fraser has had to delay a fiscal and economic review in order to account for the costs of the floods.

"In many ways, it is a disaster of biblical proportions," he told journalists in the flood-hit town of Bundaberg.
"The cost to the state will be huge - both in direct costs such as rebuilding roads, and other damaged infrastructure and providing relief payments to families - but also in lost income, while the mining, agriculture and tourism sectors recover," he said.
"Royalty forecasts are likely to be hit with freight lines cut and reports that many mines may not reach full production again for two to three months."
In some areas the waters have been receding, but around Rockhampton they are still rising.
Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter said about 40% of the city could be affected when the Fitzroy River reaches its expected peak next week.
"We know we have prepared as best we can - most people who are expecting water to inundate their houses have evacuated," he said.
He said others who needed to evacuate would be advised to leave their homes, and those who refused could be forced to leave.
Among the areas already hit by the flooding are Emerald - a town of some 11,000 people - and two smaller towns, Theodore and Condamine, which have been completely evacuated.

Parties and fireworks as the world ushers in new year

US revellers cheered the traditional ball drop in New York's Times Square to mark the start of 2011.
Earlier festivities ranged from the release of thousands of silver balloons in Tokyo, to the first countdown of a western new year in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In Sydney, crowds watched what is hailed as the world's biggest New Year's Eve fireworks display.
Dubai saw a spectacular laser and fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
Crushing grapes Party-goers in Europe attended new year's events across the continent.

Revellers crowded Hong Kong's Times Square

In London, crowds gathered on the banks of the Thames to watch fireworks. Some were launched from the London Eye big wheel - which is marking its 10th anniversary.
In Spain, crowds also gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square to take part in "Las Uvas" (The Grapes), a tradition in which people eat a grape for each of the 12 chimes of midnight.
As the new year arrived, Estonia became the 17th country to join the euro currency, with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip marking the event by withdrawing euros from a cash point.
Meanwhile in Greece, troubled by an economic crisis, many people spent Thursday queuing to pay road tax on time or qualify for a tax amnesty.
In the Americas, some two million people gathered on Rio de Janeiro Copacabana beach beach for a fireworks and music show, and the country's logo for the 2016 Olympics was unveiled.
In the US, meanwhile, New York's municipal authorities and warmer weather combined to clear the streets following the snowstorm which blanketed the city this week, allowing hundreds of thousands to gather for the famous Times Square ball drop at midnight.
Dragon display It was the tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati that was the first to welcome in the new year at 1000 GMT.
Celebrations across Asia and Australasia followed, New Zealand - the first major country to see in 2011.
In Hong Kong, hundreds of thousands of people gathered along Victoria Harbour to watch fireworks explode from the roofs of the city's most prominent buildings.
At the Zojoji temple in central Tokyo, Japan, monks chanted as visitors packed in to count down until midnight. Thousands released a mass of silver balloons carrying notes with their hopes for the future.
And in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, fireworks formed the shape of a dragon spiralling up the tallest skyscraper during the country's biggest-ever display - which cost $2m (£1.3m), and marked the beginning of year 100 on the Taiwan calendar.

Sydney was packed as spectators gathered for a massive display of fireworks

In Sydney, about 1.5 million people came out with blankets and camping equipment ahead of the seven-tonne fireworks display above the Harbour Bridge.
Crowds began arriving more than 12 hours before the main display, with new visitors turned away as early as 1500 (0400 GMT).
This year marked the first time Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, officially celebrated a Western-style countdown. In previous years, the city authorities have focused on Tet, the holiday marking the lunar new year, which begins on 3 February.
In the Philippines, safety officials urged caution after firecrackers injured at least 245 people in recent days. According to tradition, many believe noisy celebrations drive away evil and misfortune.
In Burma, however, the military government has banned all fireworks and said severe action would be taken against anyone using them.
Political activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest in November, called for the Burmese people "to struggle together with new strengths, new force and new words in the auspicious new year"