PRESQUE ISLE – The Class of 2001 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle gave the school a grade of A, based on the results of a national college student survey.

A total of 109 seniors, about half of the graduating class, ranked the school as much as 10 percent to 20 percent better in many categories than the national average.

At a press conference held Wednesday at the UMPI campus, Dr. Nancy Hensel, university president, said she was “very pleased” with what she termed the “astounding” results of the survey.

“We always felt we gave special attention to our students and that our faculty always invests an extraordinary amount of time in our students,” she said. “This shows they have succeeded in that.”

Colby College in Waterville was the only other Maine college to participate in the survey.

For the past 15 years, UMPI has administered a freshman survey during the summer orientation. Last May, UMPI seniors were asked for the first time to fill out a similar survey.

The surveys are conducted by the American Council on Education and the University of California at Los Angeles. Both surveys ask similar questions with respect to a student’s background, interests and academic and social behavior.

Dr. Woodrow Stroble, UMPI director of institutional planning and technology, said the purpose of having the seniors take the survey was simple.

“It’s not always easy for a public institution to compete with private institutions,” he said. “We wanted to know how close are we: Are we almost there? Do we have a ways to catch up?”

More than 40,000 students from 150 public, private and religious universities and colleges participated in the survey. UMPI did better than the average both within its peer group of public four-year colleges and among all 150 participating schools.

Among the findings:

. 36.5 percent of the UMPI seniors reported that their professors helped them achieve their professional goals compared to 23 percent for similar schools and about 30 percent for all participating schools.

. 35 percent of UMPI seniors said their professors provided emotional support and encouragement compared with 18 percent for similar colleges and 25.6 percent for all participating schools.

. 17.2 percent of the UMPI seniors said they talked with faculty outside of class compared with 7.2 percent and 11 percent for the other groups.

. 84 percent of UMPI seniors were happy with the amount of contact they had with faculty, compared with 65.9 percent at similar four-year schools and 78.3 percent for all participants.

“It didn’t take long to see what our graduating seniors were reporting,” said Stroble. “It means our faculty are approachable, our students feel comfortable talking with faculty and our faculty will take the time outside of class to talk with students.”

One of the more exciting results for UMPI officials was that nearly 91 percent of the seniors who took the survey indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with their interactions with other students.

That compared favorably with 77.3 percent for similar four-year colleges and 83.3 percent for all 150 participating colleges and universities.

In addition, 67 percent were happy with the sense of community they found on campus compared with 8.5 percent for similar colleges and 23 percent for other schools.

“When you become a student [at UMPI], you quickly become part of a [campus] community that is friendly,” Stroble said, noting that the survey results confirm that conclusion.

Another plus for the Presque Isle campus was that only 17.3 percent of last year’s seniors indicated they had felt bored in class. More than 27 percent felt that way at the other institutions.

“We fell behind on this one, and that’s good news,” joked Stroble.

In the area of cultural diversity, however, the college didn’t do as well.

“That comes as no surprise, being where we are,” Stroble said, noting that Maine is one of the least diverse states in the country and Aroostook County is historically less diverse than other parts of Maine.

Hensel said the university plans to capitalize on the good news and use the survey results in its student recruitment programs.

“The results have been very positive and show how the university has played an important role in the lives of our students,” she said, adding that the results also “clearly support the kind of education we have been attempting to provide.”