Oct. 8, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Students at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business again have given top marks to its faculty, facilities and overall classroom experience in a new Princeton Review survey.

Kelley School of Business Graduate and Executive Education Center

For the second consecutive year, the Kelley School's Master of Business Administration program was ranked in the survey at No. 1 for providing the "Best Classroom Experience." The survey was published Tuesday (Oct. 7) in Best 296 Business Schools: 2009 Edition (Random House/Princeton Review).

It also ranked the Kelley School second in the "Best Professors" category, third in the "Most Family Friendly" category and fourth for "Best Campus Facilities."

Princeton Review compiled the lists based on its surveys of 19,000 students attending 296 business schools profiled in the book and on school-reported data.

"While we do not assess our performance as a school based solely on media rankings, they do affect student decisions regarding which program to consider and thus, cannot be ignored," said Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School. "In the case of the Princeton Review rankings, I am particularly proud because they reflect the dedication of our faculty to provide a world-class experience for our students.

"To truly appreciate the strength of our faculty, one needs to also recall that Kelley was recently ranked among the world's leading business schools in terms of research impact," Smith added. "To find a team of professors who can deliver both world-class teaching and world-class scholarship is extraordinarily rare and something in which all of us at the school take great pride."

In the book, Princeton Review editors highlight the Kelley School's 15-week integrated core curriculum. "Students tell us that 'the core is frustrating, challenging and fun all at the same time. The integrated curriculum helps students make connections between business functions.' It helps that 'core faculty are excellent teachers although most also have extensive research backgrounds,'" editors wrote.

"Students tell us that it's difficult to find a weak discipline here," they added. "Indiana 'is strong across all core disciplines,' providing a 'great all-around business education covering marketing, operations, finance and entrepreneurship.' But it's the friendly and supportive atmosphere that impresses students most; they report glowingly of 'faculty who are always willing to help students outside of class, for career searches, school projects, internships and even full-time work issues.'"

They quote one student as saying, "The greatest strength of the school is the collaborative environment fostered by the administration, faculty and students. I truly feel like people try to help each other as much as possible."

Other rankings similarly have praised the Kelley MBA. Business Week magazine ranks the program 18th best overall and sixth best among public university programs. Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report ranked it 20th overall and seventh among publics and the Financial Times ranked Kelley's marketing program No. 2 and its statistics program No. 7, both worldwide.

No other Indiana schools were included in the publication's "top 10" categories. The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in the book on a single hierarchical list or name one school best overall.