WSU College of Business jumps in U.S. News & World Report rankings

The College of Business at Washington State University jumped 32 spots this year in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Undergraduate Business Programs Rankings. The college, which spans all campuses of WSU including Vancouver, is ranked 69th overall and 43rd among public institutions in the most recent rankings after being 101st overall last year.

The rankings are based on the college’s reputation among other business schools as reflected in a peer assessment survey conducted each spring.

“We feel that our reputation is finally starting to catch up to our results,” said David Whidbee, associate dean for faculty affairs and research at the College of Business. “Word is getting out that we’re doing some great work, and absolutely the Vancouver campus is a critical part of that.”

Although the state’s support of WSU and the College of Business has dramatically shrunk in recent years, Whidbee said the school has worked hard to become more self-sufficient through its development efforts.

“It [the new ranking] is affirmation that some of the things we did in response to the budget cuts are working,” said Whidbee. “We recognized the need to be more efficient and it forced us to try and strategically realign the direction we were headed to be consistent with our priorities. It was painful, but I do feel that we’re now in a position to move forward in a positive direction.”

The WSU College of Business is accredited at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

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