COBA jumps in rankings
By ANDREW THAGARD
News Writer
Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business MBA program continued to climb in the U.S. News and Word Report's national ranking of graduate school programs, rising from unranked four years ago to No. 29 in this year's list.
The high ranking is an honor, said Dean Carolyn Woo, but she added that the College doesn't place too much emphasis on external rankings.
"We are pleased when we do well but we don't really pay undue attention to [rankings]," she said. "We set very high standards. It's not just a matter of going up in the ranking. We went up without selling out our values."
Joel Urbany, associate dean of the College of Business, attributed Notre Dame's increased ranking to the quality of the faculty and students and the unique environment that the University offers. He also said that a strong correlation exists between the increase in ranking and Woo's arrival.
"We've gone from being ranked in the 60s to the 20s," he said. "Our faculty research productivity and prominence have improved dramatically over the past five years."
U.S. News determines a program's ranking based on four criteria, including student selectivity, placement success, recognition by corporate recruiters and academic reputation.
Notre Dame takes all of these factors seriously, according to Urbany. Over the past four years, the number of applicants to the MBA program has increased by 142 percent and the GPA of enrolled students has climbed from 3.15 to 3.36.
Student selectivity is a priority of program coordinators, Woo said. The 125-student program looks for applicants who qualify academically but also assesses their values.
"We're always careful of student selectivity," she said. "The quality of the students determines the quality of the program."
Urbany also said that technology plays an important part in the program's curriculum. The College uses a collaborative technology platform that facilitates communication.
"It allows groups and teams to communicate and work together in an online setting," Urbany said, adding that such a setup reflects the way in which companies operate.
In the future, Urbany said that the College of Business will continue to emphasize technology and recruit top faculty, fostering an environment that favors both teaching and research.
Last fall, Notre Dame was ranked No. 29 by Business Week magazine and No. 18 worldwide by the Economist Intelligence Unit, an affiliate of The Economist. Urbany, however, downplayed the importance of such rankings.
"We probably spend less time talking about the rankings and more time talking about the values at Notre Dame," he said. "While Notre Dame students are interested in academic development, they're also interested in personal development."
All News Stories for Wednesday, May 7, 2003
