The Moore School of Business has broken into the prestigious business-school rankings released Sept. 20 by The Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive.

According to the rankings, the Moore School was ranked No. 49 among national business schools whose graduates tend to be recruited regionally and No. 7 worldwide in international business. The rankings are based on responses from corporate recruiters, who named these schools most often when asked which programs excelled in certain disciplines.

President Sorensen said the ranking is a testament to the outstanding students, faculty, and programs at the Moore School and to the leadership of Dean Joel Smith, who announced this week that he would retire in 2008.

"Joel Smith has provided tremendous leadership for the Moore School," Sorensen said, "and I commend him for this latest achievement.

"The response of recruiters is a strong indicator that the Moore School faculty and staff are preparing students in every aspect for the challenges of the work place. Not only are our students learning business principles, they also are acquiring the traits that make good business leaders, including teamwork orientation, strong communication skills, and a keen sense of ethics."

The rankings included three categories--national, regional, or international--depending on the type of corporate recruiters they attract, and measure the appeal of the business schools to the recruiters who hired their MBA graduates.

"We're thrilled to be included in The Wall Street Journal ranking because it is totally focused on what recruiters think about our students," Smith said. "It's an important ranking because it is employer-driven and a strong endorsement of the quality of students we produce.

"Our ability to place students in great jobs has improved dramatically over the last five years. The ranking is a tribute to the creative focus and energy of our Graduate Career Management Office, which is ably led by Jane Willis."

In the survey, corporate recruiters were asked to evaluate the schools using 21 attributes, as well as their intention to recruit in the future. Attributes included communication skills, teamwork orientation, personal ethics and integrity, analytical and problem-solving abilities, and work ethic.

"It is gratifying to see the MBA recruiting community express such satisfaction and confidence in our programs and students," Willis said. "Our office has worked hard to prepare students for the job market by developing and implementing effective student-training programs and by implementing an aggressive corporate development campaign."

The Wall Street Journal ranking is the latest accolade for the Moore School of Business, which was ranked No.1 in undergraduate international business in U.S. News & World Report just last month, a spot it has held since 1995. Earlier this year, the Moore School's graduate international-business program was ranked No. 2 in the magazine.

9/06