For the second consecutive year, UC Davis earned a ninth-place ranking among the top public national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” issue. UC Davis’ distinction for 2012, released today (Sept. 13), follows the campus’s top 10 honors for its commitment to sustainability (Sierra magazine), contributions to society (Washington Monthly) and student happiness (Newsweek), announced earlier this summer.

“It is an honor to once again be recognized among the top universities in the nation and to be acknowledged for our commitment to sustainability,” Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said. “This public acknowledgement is a testament to our outstanding faculty, students and staff and our steadfast supporters, all of whom have worked very hard this past year to ensure that UC Davis can continue its land-grant mission of applying academic excellence and innovative research to solve the world’s most critical issues.”

More about the rankings:

U.S. News & World Report

The magazine ranked UC Davis 38th among all national research universities, public and private, up one position from last year.

In addition, UC Davis was included among 17 universities lauded for its excellence in teaching writing across the disciplines.

“These colleges,” the magazine reported, “typically make writing a priority at all levels of instruction and across the curriculum. Students are encouraged to produce and refine various forms of writing for a range of audiences in different disciplines.”

The “Best Colleges” issue also includes ratings for two undergraduate programs: business and engineering. UC Davis’ undergraduate engineering program rated 34th nationwide. UC Davis does not have an undergraduate business program.

More about the U.S. News rankings and methodology.

Sierra magazine

In its September-October issue, this magazine ranked UC Davis the eighth greenest campus in America, with Sierra especially recognizing the university for its strong foundation and recent accomplishments in nurturing sustainable methods of food production.

The publication specifically mentioned UC Davis’ new 34,000-square-foot winery, brewery and food-processing complex, which received official LEED Platinum certification in 2010 — the highest environmental rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council — making the complex the first LEED Platinum winery, brewery or food-processing facility in the world. The $20 million “green” facility was funded entirely by private donations; no state or federal funds were used in its design or construction.

More about Sierra’s rankings and methodology.

Washington Monthly

This magazine ranked UC Davis eighth among all national universities for its contributions to society, and made special mention of the university’s research funds, which totaled almost $679 million last fiscal year.

Washington Monthly’s rankings, released Sept. 1, are based on a university’s success in recruiting and graduating low-income students, fostering scientific and humanistic research, and fostering an ethic of service to the country.

More about Washington Monthly’s rankings and methodology.

Newsweek

According to Newsweek, UC Davis is one of the happiest places in the country to go to college. The publication ranked the campus 10th for happiest schools in the nation. Additionally, the magazine ranked UC Davis 11th for “greenest schools,” 19th among the best schools for “computer geeks” and 23rd among U.S. colleges for best weather.

More about the Newsweek rankings and methodology.