The general MBA program in the Moore School of Business moved up 17 places in a recent ranking released by the Financial Times of London.

Last year, the program ranked No. 72 among colleges and universities in the world. This year, the program has moved up to No. 55. Among colleges and universities in the United States, the program ranked No. 25 this year, compared to No. 45 last year.

"That ranking includes both public and private schools, including legendary business schools such as Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Duke, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and others," President Sorensen said at the Faculty Senate meeting Feb. 6. "To be ranked No. 25, including public and private institutions, is truly remarkable."

The University also was ranked No. 14 for startups--taking scholarly discoveries and translating them into start-up businesses--among 500 U.S. universities.

Sorensen announced that Peter Beattie, the former premier of the state of Queensland in Australia, and his wife, Heather, will be visiting scholars at Carolina this semester. Peter Beattie will work primarily in the Moore School of Business, and Heather Beattie will be in the College of Nursing.

Sorensen added that he will deliver the commencement address at the winter commencement of Queensland University in July.

Provost Becker updated the searches for deans for University Libraries, the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management (HRSM), and the Arnold School of Public Health. University Libraries and HRSM had just begun their searches when Sorensen announced in December 2007 that he will retire in July and have suspended their searches until a new president of the University is named. The search for a dean of public health has progressed beyond its initial phase and will continue, Becker said.

Becker also announced that his biennial reception for faculty authors will be held this spring. Any faculty member who has published a book in the past two years should contact the provost's office.

Faculty Senate Chair Robert Best, medicine, announced that the Senate elected Marlene Wilson, a School of Medicine professor, to be the Columbia campus faculty representative on the Presidential Candidate Search Committee.

The Executive Committee of the University's Board of Trustees named English professor Diane Johnson an alternate faculty representative, Best said. Johnson, who was the runner-up in the Jan. 14 election, will be a full participant in all aspects of the search process but will vote only when one of the other three faculty members on the committee is absent.

The next Faculty Senate meeting will be at 3 p.m. March 5 in the School of Law Auditorium.

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