I definitely prefer collaborative leaning; I always fall over when the leaning gets competitive 
(sorry, I’m a former copy editor, stuff just pops out at me)
I think if you’re willing to go as midwest as Ohio, then you probably should keep all of the midwest on your list. Both my kids are looking for open curriculum and supportive atmospheres for STEM undergrad stuff, and Brown pops up a lot (although it’s such a reach).
The Daily Beast has a 100 happiest colleges-this may be of some help:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2010/04/11/the-100-happiest-colleges.html#slide43