Kelley school earns top rankings

The Kelley School of Business MBA program moved up two spots from number 20 to 18 in the most recent Business Week ranking. \n"There are over 500 accredited MBA programs," Daniel Smith, interim dean and Clare W. Barker chair in marketing of the Kelly School of Business said. "To be ranked number 18 overall and number six among public schools places us among the elite in the nation." \nBusiness Week has ranked MBA programs every two years since 1988. \n"Business Week surveys both students and recruiters," Chair person, MBA program and Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management of the Kelly School of Business, Idalene Kesner said. "Students are asked to respond to factors such as the quality of the teaching and career service support. Recruiters are asked to evaluate the students on the following dimensions: communications, teamwork and analytical skills."\nSince Business Week began ranking MBA programs, IU has not fallen below a ranking of 21st in the nation. This 1998 ranking has been the program's lowest. The highest ranking IU has received was seventh in the nation in 1994.\nThis year's ranking places IU above other schools such as Yale (22nd), Purdue (21st) and Notre Dame (24th) according to the article. In years past IU has always fared better than all other universities in Indiana, including both Purdue and Notre Dame.\nWhile Business Week does not rank undergraduate programs, according to the most recent U.S. News and World report ranking, The Kelley School of Business undergraduate program was ranked 11th nationally. Other major fields such as management, marketing and finance were ranked in the top 10.\nThe Kelley School has also been ranked No. 1 by the Princeton Review for best-quality MBA teaching. \nThe credit for the Kelley School's upward shift in ranking has been attributed to many sources.\n"The MBA faculty, staff and students have all worked hard to contribute to our upward movement," Kesner said. "Credit also goes to our alumni and recruiters who are very supportive of our program and our students." \nThe Kelley School has set primary goals for its students to assure that their dreams come true.\n"We view the MBA program as a life transforming experience," Smith said. "We ask students to come to us with big dreams of what they want to accomplish with their lives. Our goal is to provide them with the skills and intellectual resources to make those dreams come true." \nThe overview of the Kelly School's MBA program is one with a positive future.\n"We have extraordinary leadership in our MBA office, an incredibly talented and dedicated faculty and a positive student culture," Smith said. "When you bring these three elements together, good things happen." \n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.