October 11, 2006

Princeton Review names SIUC a "Best Business School"

by Sun Min

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Princeton Review has named Southern Illinois University Carbondale's College of Business and Administration as one of the nation's "Best 282 Business Schools" for 2007.

The New York-based education services company features the school in the latest edition of its annual business school guidebook.

"We are pleased to be considered among this group of schools and we hope to use this as a platform from which to further improve the program," said J. Dennis Cradit, dean of the College of Business and Administration.

The Princeton Review chose SIUC's College of Business "based on our high regard for its academic programs and offerings," said Robert Franek, publishing vice president at Princeton Review. "We are pleased to recommend SIUC to readers of our book and users of our website as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an M.B.A."

Surveys of 18,000 business school students formed the basis of the Princeton Review guide. The book profiles each business school with write-ups on academics, student life and admissions, plus ratings for academics, selectivity and career placement services.

Graduate students at SIUC's College of Business gave high marks to the school for its affordability and its "famous" finance department. Reviewers also commended the professors who "work to extend the understanding of the discipline in all classes." In particular, students praised the "very interactive" courses and the "good courses in management of information systems."

In the "Survey Says…" section of the book, which is a snapshot of the school, surveyors summed up the College of Business as a place with "friendly students, happy students and smart classrooms."

SIUC students polled for the listings also described the University's unique campus as "beautiful, with forests all around where you can go hiking if the weather allows." One student added, "There are lots of things to do here, such as [hearing] guest speakers and seminars to attend."

"We're happy to see the comments students made about the attractive aspects of the program," said Cradit.

The Princeton Review, which is not affiliated with Princeton University, does not rank the schools on a hierarchy. The complete rankings lists are available at www. Princetonreview.com.

Achieving excellence in professional programs is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.