U.S. News and World Report ranks UH Manoa's graduate programs in "America's Best Graduate Schools 2008"

John A. Burns School of Medicine makes first appearance in top-rated list for geriatrics program

HONOLULU - Graduate programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in law and business are once again recognized among the nation‘s best, according to U.S. News and World Report‘s "America‘s Best Graduate Schools 2008." Also, for the first time this year, the John A. Burns School of Medicine joins the list of outstanding schools. Graduate school rankings will appear in the magazine on newsstands Monday, April 2.

"I‘m very proud that we‘re gaining national recognition for what we‘ve known for many years — that the UH Mānoa campus is one of the best places in the world to study, teach and do research," said Interim Chancellor Denise Eby Konan.

The William S. Richardson School of Law moved up in national rankings, placing in the top 20 law schools in the country for environmental law, diversity, and low faculty/student ratio. It is also the smallest law school within the top 100 law schools, and in the top 40 for first-time bar passage rate and for lowest student debt.

Dean Aviam Soifer said, "We are very proud of our Law School all the time, and we tend not to pay much attention to rankings such as these, skewed as they are against small schools like ours. But it is nice to move up and to be noticed for some of our important strengths, such as being the kind of diverse law school in which faculty and students can really get to know one another and to learn together."

Graduate programs in international business in the Shidler College of Business maintains its 21st ranking — standing among the elite schools in business that include Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, and Berkeley. The ranking is based on ratings by business school deans and directors of accredited master's programs from the list of schools surveyed who were asked to nominate up to 10 programs for excellence in specialty areas.

"We are pleased that we remain in the top 25 international business rankings. With Jay Shidler's transformational $25 million gift, as well as approximately $6 million raised from other donors over the past two years, we expect our rankings to rise in the future as we are able to make strategic investments in our international business programs," said Dean Vance Roley.

The geriatric medicine program at the John A. Burns School of Medicine ranks 12th in the nation. "This recognition is a tribute to the outstanding leadership of its chairwoman, Dr. Patricia Blanchette," says Interim Dean Gary Ostrander. "The Department works actively with senior retirement facilities and in spearheading research — particularly significant in a state that has a rapidly growing aging population and the longest life expectancy in the nation," said Dr. Ostrander.

The U.S. News and World Report rankings of professional-school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine, are based on both expert opinion and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school‘s faculty, research and students. For more information on the rankings, visit www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/about/index_brief.php.

For more information, visit: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/about/index_brief.php