AMHERST, N.Y. – Best Value Schools has named Daemen College as one of the “50 Best Value Small Colleges,” a distinction that places it in the top 15 small institutions in the nation.

Daemen, which is the only college in the Buffalo Niagara region included on the list, ranks No. 14 in the 2016 roster from Best Value Schools, an online guide to the best values in college education across the U.S. Selected top institutions have 4,000 or fewer students and rankings are based on net price, retention rate, graduation rate, and class size.

“We are pleased to have Daemen ranked fourteenth among the best small colleges in the country for overall value,” said Daemen President Gary A. Olson. “This national distinction speaks to our steadfast commitment to provide a high-quality education that is affordable and to offer our students an exceptional value for their investment.”

Student teams from the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership in Batavia and the Kenton Career & Tech Center in Tonawanda are celebrating victories at the NFADA Ron Smith Memorial AutoTech Competition and Tire Rodeo held on Jan. 16 in Orchard Park. The competition took place at the Erie Community College-Vehicle Technology Training Center located at 5885 Big Tree Road.

The AutoTech competition featured teams of two high school automotive seniors who were put through a series of diagnostic, workstation and performance tests to measure their automotive technical skills and abilities. The WNY Ford Dealers served as vehicle sponsors and provided six 2016 Ford F150s for the students to compete on.