For the 22^nd consecutive year, Stanislaus State has found its place among the top public universities in the West, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

In the publication’s annual college edition, released Tuesday, Stan State is ranked No. 13 among public universities in the West, one spot higher than last year, and No. 55 among all western universities, a leap up six spots from last year’s list.

On July 11, Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Kilolo Brodie, department chair of the Stanislaus State Master of Social Work program, to the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities.

“This appointment is, in essence, a liaison position representing my local region (covering Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties) and the State Council headquarters in Sacramento,” Brodie said. “I will help to convey information from this geographic area, communicating needs, concerns, and successes to the state level.

The Morris Animal Foundation will fund studies to advance the health of wildlife species around the world, including one at California State University, Stanislaus to help kit foxes survive.

The 11 Morris grants, totaling $775,866, were selected from among 168 applications and will go toward a diverse set of animal health challenges from Brazil to the Netherlands to Mongolia.

For the 12^th consecutive year, Stanislaus State has been selected as one of the country’s top 382 colleges by the Princeton Review.

Stan State joins San Diego State and Sonoma State as the only three members of the California State University system on the list, which also includes seven University of California campuses.