Colorado State University’s College of Business Among the Best in the Nation, According to U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report magazine has ranked Colorado State University’s College of Business among the best programs in the nation. The college was ranked 97, moving up one from last year’s rankings.

"I am gratified to know that our peers recognize the strength of our faculty, staff and students," said Ajay Menon, dean of the College of Business. "The college’s focus of hiring and retaining outstanding faculty scholars has allowed us to put in place a world-class curriculum that corporations look for in their employees. Our academic standards attract the best students who excel in our rigorous academic environment, allowing our institution to continue to rise in these rankings."

The College of Business is one of only two Colorado business colleges listed in the top 100. Other universities closely ranked with Colorado State include George Mason University, Kansas State University, Loyola University, Rutgers and Temple University.

"Despite the current economic conditions, 84 percent of Colorado State’s 2002 business graduates were employed in their field of study within 90 days of graduation," said Bill Shuster, assistant director of the Career Center/College of Business at Colorado State.

The college was reaccredited last month by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – the accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Out of the 1,800 four-year business programs nationwide, only 341 are accredited by the AACSB. Colorado State ranks in the top 25 percent of the 341 accredited four-year business programs.

With about 2,200 undergraduate students, the college has grown 46 percent in the past five years. Because of the popularity of the program at Colorado State, the College of Business has one of the highest admission standards at the university and among other business programs in the state.

Bringing financial reporting issues to the national forefront, the College of Business launched a new Center for Quality Financial Reporting this past year directed by Lynn Turner, former chief accountant for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Turner, on behalf of the center, testified to the U.S. Congress five times this year and helped to craft the corporate reform legislation signed by President George Bush in July.

In 2001, Kiplinger magazine named the MBA program in the College of Business as one of the top "big name" programs in the country offering the degree at a distance. The magazine noted that Colorado State’s distance MBA program has a reputation for high standards and is accredited by the AACSB, two essential criteria for participants to set themselves apart when interviewing with personnel managers and executive recruiters.

The College of Business also was chosen last year by IBM to be its technology hub for the nation. IBM provided the Computer Information Systems department in the college with the use of a sophisticated mainframe, valued at $21.6 million by IBM over the course of two years. As IBM’s technology hub, Colorado State will provide support to other universities across the country that wish to use the powerful mainframe for enterprise systems experience and research.