Eller remains in top 20 nationwide

The UA has bumped up its rank among American universities, placing 97th out of all universities and 45th out of public schools, a gain of one place over both of last year's rankings.

According to the U.S. News and World Report released Friday, the ratings are based on a number of factors, including graduation and retention rates, financial and faculty resources, and class sizes.

The Eller College of Management was the UA's highest-ranking program at 18th in the nation with its management information systems major placing fourth.

Harvard University and Princeton University share the top spot for the third straight year, while UC Berkeley is the highest-ranked public university at No. 20.

UA spokesman Paul Allvin said he is pleased to see the UA included among the 50 best public universities in the country.

"Year to year, it's nice to see that we've gone up, but it's hard to give that one point much meaning," Allvin said. "This gives us a chance to step back and look at the big picture; what we're doing right, and what needs improvement."

The report gave the UA its lowest marks in graduation and retention rates, with 78 percent of freshmen returning for a second year and 57 percent of students graduating within six years.

"Retention is always a major concern," Allvin said. "We are paying more attention to our undergraduates' needs from orientation on."

The Eller College's rise to 18th is good news to the department's new dean, Paul Portney.

"We're always happy to move up in the rankings," Portney said. "Our staff does a fantastic job of working with our undergraduates."

But Portney stressed that rankings should not be the sole focus of administrators and educators.

"I think it's really important that any dean not get too caught up in rankings like these," Portney said. "If you place the focus on the students, on giving them what they need to succeed, then the rankings will take care of themselves."

Students attending the Eller College are aware of its reputation as one of the best in the nation, and this ranking is validation of that reputation, said Maryan Mikhael, a graduate student in management information systems who got her bachelor of arts degree in MIS at the UA.

"Undergrads are always told that businesses will be impressed to see that you attended the Eller College," Mikhael said. "I wanted to go on to a master's, and I knew that because of its ranking, Eller means a lot to prospective employers."

The Eller College's MBA program also moved from 45th to 33rd in Forbes Magazine's "Best Business Schools" rankings and was the only Arizona-based program to make the list.