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SOM cracks WSJ top 10

UB recognized among leading regional business schools

Published: October 5, 2006

By JACQUELINE GHOSEN
Reporter Contributor

For the sixth consecutive year, the UB 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 10th among the top 51 regional business schools in North America, up three spots from last year.

"Corporate recruiters routinely tell us that our graduates are a valuable investment because of the impact they make in the workplace," said John M. Thomas, SOM dean. "This ranking is a glowing affirmation of their message."

As in past years, the ranking is based exclusively on recruiter feedback. More than 4,000 recruiters assessed schools and students based on a variety of attributes. They rated communication and interpersonal skills, team skills, and personal ethics and integrity as being the most important. Work ethic and analytical and problem-solving skills also were highly rated.

The survey results were separated into three rankings—national, regional and international—based primarily on M.B.A. recruiting activity. Schools in the national ranking category tended to be larger—more than 500 students—and attracted more recruiters. Schools in the regional ranking category were more likely to draw recruiters from within their geographic area and they typically had M.B.A. programs with fewer than 500 students. For example, the majority of the Big Ten schools are in the regional category. To be eligible for the international ranking, schools needed responses from recruiters in at least four countries.

"Our efforts to recruit top faculty and high-caliber students are really paying off," said Thomas. "We have enhanced the quality of our programs and our global reputation."

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 was cited last year in Forbes magazine's biennial ranking of business schools for "best return on investment."