With the recent release of two prominent college surveys, the University of Dayton seems to be flying high above the rest.

 UD was ranked as the 99th best university in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, a magazine renowned for its annual "America's Best Colleges" issue. The university jumped 11 spots from its ranking as 110th last year and also placed 55th among private institutions and as the 8th best Catholic university in the U.S.

 "We've been trying to continue to get the university's name out there to build our academic reputation, and they've acknowledged what we're doing," said Dr. Daniel Curran, UD's president. "There are thousands of universities in the United States, and for them to say at a national level that we are in the top 100, even the top 60 of private universities, which includes schools like Harvard and Stanford, is very, very important."

 U.S. News & World Report's 2011 edition, which was released Aug. 16, 2010, did amend the way universities were ranked, according to Curran. The publication now places more emphasis on graduation and retention rates, two categories in which UD placed strongly.

 "The combination of those two things ... is a continued emphasis for the university," Curran said. "It says a lot about our faculty and the quality of our students."

 Curran also cited the university's recent hiring of many established professors and other faculty members in the recent years as a reason for UD's success.

 UD also has been honored by several other publications for its academic reputation. Forbes.com placed the Flyers among the top 15 percent of four-year institutions in the U.S., while the college admission book "Acceptance" placed UD among the top 40 in the nation. According to a university press release, Washington Monthly, a magazine offering a college guide, recently heralded the university for its service-oriented atmosphere, placing it among the top 100 schools that give back to the community.

 The Princeton Review, an academic consulting company that publishes "The Best 371 Colleges" each year, also honored UD in its 2011 edition, released in early August 2010. Besides being placed among the best universities in the nation, UD also ranked in five of The Princeton Review's top 20 categories.

 For the first time, The Princeton Review considered UD to have the "Best Quality of Life" and said the "School Runs Like Butter," referring to the efficiency under which the university operates.

 UD also was categorized as having a top 20 "Easiest Campus to Get Around," instituting a program where "Everybody Plays Intramural Sports" and the "Happiest Students."

 "Most important is having the happiest students," Curran said. "All these things are interrelated; we worked hard to provide services over the years."

 According to Curran, the university's merits are owed to the one thing UD students and faculty constantly advocate: community.

 "Relations between students, faculty and staff are very important and are as good as they can be," Curran said. "It's all an outgrowth of our emphasis on community."