SU’s Maxwell School repeats as #1 in U.S. News rankings

SU’s Maxwell School repeats as #1 in U.S. News rankingsApril 02, 2004Cynthia J. Moritzcjmoritz@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has reclaimed sole possession of first place among schools of public affairs in the latest U.S.News & World Report ranking of graduate schools, which the magazine announced April 2. The rankings are part of the 2005 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”

The last time U.S. News ranked public affairs schools, in 2001, Maxwell tied for first place with Harvard, which is now ranked number 2. It is the fourth consecutive time Maxwell has received the top ranking in the poll, which is based on ratings by academic experts. It first received the distinction in 1995.

The magazine rates Maxwell highly in several program areas under the public affairs umbrella. Maxwell is ranked number one in the areas of Public Finance/Budgeting and Public Management/Administration, and is tied for first with Indiana University-Bloomington in Nonprofit Management. The school ranks second in Information/Technology Management; third in Environmental Policy/Management; sixth in Public Policy Analysis and in Social Policy; eighth in City Management; and ties with Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for ninth in Health Policy/Management.

“We are extremely proud and gratified by our selection as the number one graduate school of public affairs in the latest U.S. News poll,” says Maxwell Dean Mitchel Wallerstein. “This outcome demonstrates once again that the Maxwell School sets the national standard for excellence in this area. We are striving continually to improve the quality of our teaching and research in all dimensions of public administration and public policy.”

The latest rankings from U.S. News also include new information on graduate schools and program areas in business, law, education, engineering and health disciplines. SU mentions include a number 44 overall ranking for the School of Education, which garners 12th place honors for programs in the area of special education; a number 66 overall ranking for the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, with five program areas ranked in the top 100 (Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering 33rd, Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering 54th, Computer Engineering 57th, Mechanical Engineering 62nd and Civil Engineering 65th); and four program areas in the College of Human Services and Health Professions and The College of Arts and Sciences ranked in the top 100 (Speech/Language Pathology 28th, Audiology 33rd, Master’s-level Social Work 46th and Doctoral Clinical Psychology 62nd). For more information on the magazine’s rankings, visit http://www.usnews.com.