THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007
NEWS
3A
》 NATIONAL RECOGNITION
University retains rankings
Two graduate programs keep No.1 spot in U.S.News report
BY NATHAN GILL
Two University of Kansas graduate programs hung on to No.1 spots and four moved up in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings released March 30.
The report, "America's Best Graduate Schools," surveyed more than 1,200 schools and rated programs using indicators such as opinions from academic experts and program statistics.
Cynthia Powell, U.S. News public relations director, said the report's purpose was to provide graduate students with information about academic programs, and that the report could be used instead of a university's marketing literature.
"The decision of what graduate school to go to is one of the biggest financial decisions a person has in his or her lifetime," Powell said.
The University's graduate programs in education, petroleum engineering, biological sciences and law moved up since last year's rankings, and the special education, city management and urban policy programs held steady at number one.
Twenty-four KU programs were rated in the top 25 among public universities, several in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Biological sciences at the University ranked 30th this year, up from 56th a year ago.
Top 25 graduate program rankings
KU programs ranked in the top 25 among public universities
Joseph
Steinmetz,
College of
1. City management and urban policy (master)
2. Special education (master/doctorate)
3. Community health (master/doctorate), tied
4. Paleontology (doctorate)
5. Public management administration (master)
6. Occupational therapy (master/doctorate), tied
7. Audiology (master/doctorate)
5. Public affairs (master), tied
6. Speech-language-pathology (master)
7. Petroleum engineering
8. Social work (master), tied
10. Physical therapy
(master/doctorate), tied
12. Nursing-midwifery (master/doctorate)
12. Music (master), tied
12. School of Education (doctorate)
14. Nursing-anesthesia (master), tied
16. Pharmacy (PharmD), tied
17. Public finance and budgeting, (master)
17. Secondary education, (doctoral), tied
18. Health services administration (master), tied
19. Clinical child psychology (doctorate), tied
23. Clinical psychology (doctorate), tied
23. Drama/theatre (master), tied
24. History (doctorate), tied
Source: University Relations
as possible into the rankings because it heightened the value of a KU degree.
"This is quite
"The decision of what graduate school to go to is one of the biggest financial decisions a person has in his or her lifetime."
Liberal Arts and Sciences dean and professor of biology, said the college was trying to get as many programs
CYNTHIA POWELL U.S.News public relations director
an accomplishment," Steinmetz said, referring to the University's biology rating. "It shows we're certainly getting better in the eyes of those who are doing the rank-ins."
Steinmetz said the college had been working to expand its biology department for several years. He said that money from the University's Tuition
Enhancement Program had helped hire faculty for both KU biology departments, which are currently searching to fill eight new faculty positions.
Prema Sundaram, Chennai, India, doctoral student in molecular biology, said KU biology was strong and hired faculty who brought cutting-edge research and research grants to the University.
"I am definitely glad to be here." Sundarra said.
Kansan staff writer Nathan Gill can be contacted at ngill@kansan. com.
— Edited by James Pinick
Loan investigation deepens
>> FINANCIAL AID
BY MARK JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALBANY, N.Y. — Cozy arrangements between colleges and the companies that lend their students billions of dollars are far more widespread than anticipated, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told The Associated Press Tuesday, just as two more college financial aid officers were suspended amid a probe into the $85 billion industry.
Cuomo would not divulge where the burgeoning investigation is headed next, including whether more subpoenaes are on the way. But he said the investigation could lead to criminal charges against high-ranking officials at both lending companies and universities.
"This is like peeling an onion," Cuomo said. "It seems to be getting worse the more we uncover. It's
more widespread than we originally thought ... More schools and more lenders at the top end.
"We have demonstrated this is not just the exception," he said. "This is the rule."
Cuomo is investigating alleged kickbacks to school officials who steered students to certain lenders. His investigators said they found numerous arrangements that benefited schools, financial aid officers and lenders at the expense of students.
Investigators found that many colleges had established "preferred lender" lists and entered into revenue sharing and other financial arrangements with those lenders. Some colleges have "exclusive" preferred lender agreements with the companies.
So far, six schools, including the University of Pennsylvania and
New York University, have agreed to reimburse students a total of $3.27 million for inflated loan prices caused by revenue-sharing agreements, Cuomo said.
On Monday, a loan company at the center of the investigation, CIT Group Inc., placed three top executives at its Student Loan Xpress division on paid leave following allegations of stock transactions with a high-level U.S. Department of Education official and college financial aid officers.
The Department of Education official who oversaw parts of the student loan industry was also placed on leave after it was reported that in 2003 he owned at least $100,000 worth of stock in Education Lending Group Inc., the former parent of Student Loan Xpress. The company was acquired by CIT in 2005.
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