Many Shelby County residents are already familiar with the University of Montevallo and the excellent educational opportunities it affords locals and transplants alike, and some recent recognitions reminded us of this fact.

First, The University of Montevallo was ranked among the 10 best affordable schools in Alabama for a bachelor’s degree by Affordable Schools.

The ranking, which was published on the organization’s website in August, was created using the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator database and each school’s website.

The top 20 universities and colleges in Alabama were selected and ranked based on average cost of attendance, student-to-faculty ratio and graduation rate.

UM enrolls more than 2,500 undergraduate students each year, and students may choose to pursue more than 40 high-impact undergraduate and graduate degrees across the school’s four colleges: Arts & Sciences, Stephens College of Business, Education & Human Development and Fine Arts.

“As Alabama’s only public liberal arts university, we take pride in knowing that our curriculum is both challenging and affordable,” UM President John W. Stewart III said. “We are extremely proud to be included in this ranking of the best affordable schools in Alabama for a bachelor’s degree.”

The four-year public university that was founded in 1896 had also previously been ranked among the top 20 most innovative schools in the United States and among the top 25 best public regional universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report.

Then, Montevallo’s Michael E. Stephens College of Business was named one of the top universities in the state for online Master of Business Administration programs.

Collegeconsensus.com released its list of the Best Online MBA Programs in Alabama, and Montevallo came in at No. 2 on a list including public and private colleges from throughout the state.

The website praised the Stephens College of Business for offering a convenient, affordable and high-quality online MBA program.

The opportunities offered by the University of Montevallo benefit students, and in turn those benefits are enjoyed by local businesses and communities. Shelby County is fortunate to have such an organization.

Stephen Dawkins is a staff writer for the Shelby County Reporter. He can be reached at 669-3131 ext. 537 or by email at stephen.dawkins@shelbycountyreporter.com.