Smith School retains lofty MBA program ranking

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Sep 18, 2003 by Bobby White

An influential survey of corporate recruiters on business schools and their MBA programs has continued to hold the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business in high regard.

Officials at the school and at one of the companies conducting the survey downplayed a modest slip in the rankings.

The Wall Street Journal, partnering with Harris Interactive, produces a book chronicling the results from the survey. The early findings were published in yesterday's Journal with the Smith School ranked 19 on a listing of the top 50 business schools.

The study focuses on the thoughts and experiences of corporate recruiters. It gauges their perceptions of a school, in addition to their efforts at recruiting students. The survey was conducted online between Nov. 4, 2002, and March 1, 2003. A total of 2,191 college recruiters participated.

In addition to its top 50 ranking, the school also was ranked as a top-10 small school and public school.

However, while the school remains among the nation's 50 best, last year's ranking saw Maryland three notches higher at 16.

Joy Maria Sever, senior vice president of Harris Interactive, said fluctuations are based on recruiter sentiment, and can shift a school's numbers drastically or incrementally.

"To a certain degree, there is an emotional component," she said. "But there are other factors that gauge how a recruiter views a particular school. Ultimately, this survey tries to address the concerns of the student who pays attention to the relationships recruiters have with schools."

Sever said most of the schools pay attention to the findings, and at the least communicate on some of the shortcomings.

Smith School Dean Howard Frank said he was pleased over the survey's results, but conceded the luster, to him, is no longer what it used to be. He said just as the Wall Street Journal puts out a ranking, so do U.S. News and World Report, BusinessWeek and the Financial Times. Frank pointed out that each considers the Smith School a quality institution, which the rankings reflect.

"I'm getting to be an old hat with all of this. Of course, that's not to say that we do not care," he said. "We know it has an impact. It certainly makes the alumni and students feel good. But I cannot worry too much about the incremental shifts. Now, if we were to drop out of the top 20 or 25, then my sentiment would change."

Frank said he holds the survey in high regard and looks forward to reviewing some of the details when the book arrives.

The study is in its third year and early results were also released on CNBC. When evaluating a school, the study includes factors like school chemistry and the likelihood of recruiting stars.

The top-ranked business program was the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.