U.S. News and World Report, take note.

According to the opinions of average citizens, Penn State continues to be the most quickly recognized and well-reputed college or university in the state.

Penn State President Graham Spanier highlighted the results of a recent opinion survey in his remarks at the Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 19.

But don't expect a new ad campaign to herald these specific findings right away.

The survey, which was conducted by the university's department of marketing and advertising, is primarily used for internal decision-making, said director Cynthia Hall.

She said its main purpose is to monitor the way Penn State is perceived by citizens and to see if those perceptions vary among different parts of the state.

Nonetheless, Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said it's encouraging to see that the level of respect for the university stays high from year to year.

When prompted to select the top college or university in Pennsylvania, Penn State came up in 44 percent of the responses. A similar poll conducted in 1999 put that percentage at 43.

The University of Pennsylvania was the second most frequent answer both years, with less than 20 percent each time.

One aspect of the survey was designed to help people differentiate between these top two institutions.

When respondents initially answered "Penn," the interviewers pressed them to pick between the Big Ten school and the one in the Ivy League.

Another recent popular opinion poll — by Gallup in September 1999 — placed Penn State fifth on a list of the best national universities, according to popular opinion.

However, this year's rankings of national universities by U.S. News, with its statistic-based methodology, put the university at No. 13 among publics and No. 44 overall.

Penn State's own survey also researched if citizens see Penn State as "a good educational value for the money" and if the university "provides outreach and service to the state." Fifty-six percent agreed with the first statement and 43 with the second.

Residents in the Philadelphia region were most likely to see a Penn State education as a good buy, and those in Central Pennsylvania — including Centre, Clinton, Juniata, and Mifflin counties — acknowledged the university's outreach the most.

The random telephone survey, which was conducted last October, polled 817 adult Pennsylvanians.