CBE captures 18th spot in <i>BusinessWeek</i> survey

BusinessWeek magazine has ranked Lehigh's College of Business and Economics (CBE) among the most innovative and competitive undergraduate business programs in the country.
The CBE finished ahead of some notable regional competitors to capture the 18th position in BusinessWeek’s first-ever undergraduate business rankings. The magazine’s editors talked with 2,000 corporate recruiters and more than 100,000 business students from around the country to help determine the rankings.
Lehigh’s accounting program was listed among the nation’s top 10, finishing in ninth place based on its strong alumni network and relationships with the Big Four national public accounting firms.
(Click here to listen to a podcast where BusinessWeek editors explain the criteria they used in ranking the nation's finest business schools.)
BusinessWeek also collected data and statistics from each of the participating schools, adding a comprehensive analytical component to the survey. The two balanced each other out: business school perceptions counted for 50 percent of the overall score, while data counted for the other half of the equation.
Lehigh excelled in several categories. In addition to enjoying the 18th spot overall on the countdown, the college can also celebrate being the 10th-ranked college among four-year programs. It also is ranked 11th among all private universities with undergraduate business programs.
In the category of academic quality, which factors in such measures as SAT scores, internship opportunities, and average class size, Lehigh came in 13th. It’s also ranked 8th in median starting salary ($50,000), and received an “A” in teacher quality and job placement.
(Click here to read the full Lehigh profile.)

	Rauch Business Center, home to the College of Business and Economics

“This is a very high honor for the business school because it recognizes the contributions of our faculty, alumni and students,” says Tom Hyclak, interim dean of the College of Business and Economics. “BusinessWeek thought highly of our cross-disciplinary programs and was impressed by our entrepreneurial spirit.”
In its cover article, BusinessWeek highlighted the nation’s elite programs—including the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which locked up the top position in the rankings. But it also explored the evolving nature of business schools and how programs like Lehigh are paving the way.
“But the new ranking also shows just how much good company Wharton has these days,” wrote BusinessWeek. “Schools that had never been thought of as top business programs, such as No. 18 Lehigh University's College of Business & Economics, turn out to deserve more recognition.”
BusinessWeek even highlighted the college’s integrated programming in a prominently featured article titled, “Why Put Real Work Off Till Tomorrow?” (Click here to read the article online.)
And BusinessWeek Weekend, a syndicated television show that runs on ABC affiliates across the country every weekend, featured both Lehigh and Penn in a segment about the current state of America’s business schools that aired on April 29 and April 30.
--Tom Yencho