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SOM ranked one of world’s "top business schools"
By JACQUELINE GHOSEN
Reporter Contributor
For the fourth consecutive year, the School of Management has been ranked as one of the world's "top business schools" by The Wall Street Journal.
The School of Management was ranked 15th among the top 44 regional business schools in North America. It also was ranked first out of six in the Northeast, seventh out of 22 among public schools and 13th out of 38 among small schools.
"Recruiters have told us for years that they value our graduates for the positive impact they make in the workplace, and this ranking proves beyond a doubt that they mean it," said John M. Thomas, SOM dean.
"This is truly a testament of the quality of our graduates, the excellence of our world-renowned faculty and the dedication of our staff," he added.
As in past years, the ranking is based exclusively on recruiter feedback. More than 2,800 recruiters assessed schools based on a variety of attributes. They rated communication and interpersonal skills; team skills, and personal ethics and integrity as the most important.
Unlike the past three years, however, this year's ranking was calculated differently, according to The Wall Street Journal, to address a concern that "the number of recruiters drawn by bigger schools was outweighing the importance of their opinions."
The result was three separate rankings—national, regional and international—based on MBA recruiting activity. Schools in the national ranking attracted more recruiters, with many from national and multi-national companies. Schools in the regional ranking were more likely to draw recruiters from within their region, and they typically had smaller MBA programs and fewer recruiters overall. To be eligible for the international ranking, schools needed responses from recruiters in at least four countries.
The school also was ranked second out of 10 for the highest percentage of women enrollment and fourth out of 10 for most internationally diverse schools.
"These rankings are a reflection of the success of our efforts to enhance the quality of our academic programs and our global reputation by focusing our resources on the recruitment of top students and faculty," said Thomas. "Our new, student-focused Alfiero Center, now under construction, will provide a boost to the school's educational facilities and technologies as well."
The Alfiero Center, named in honor of the chair and CEO of Protective Industries, Sal H. Alfiero, and his wife, Jeanne, who made a $2 million gift to the School of Management, will serve as a student center and house academic and career-development offices.
The UB School of Management is the only Western New York business school to be included in The Wall Street Journal ranking. The school also has been cited by Business Week as one of the "best business schools" in America, and by Forbes for "best return on investment."