Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the University’s Mendoza College of Business No. 2 out of 114 schools nationwide in their annual ranking of undergraduate business programs in a report released Monday.
“A tradition of excellence and a commitment to ethical business is the deepest part of our identity. We continually look for ways to advance our curriculum to stay current with developing trends so that our students leave here prepared to meet the challenges of the global economy,” Roger Huang, the Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business said in an email. “All this we do irrespective of the rankings and therefore fact that the ranking is discontinued will not divert us from that course.”
Mendoza held the No. 1 spot for five consecutive years starting in 2010 and lasting until 2014.
“The ranking is based on four components — recruiter feedback, student surveys, starting salary data and internships. So first and foremost, Mendoza was ranked No. 1 by the students, which is very meaningful to me. Again, I think their response signals how much they value what we do here at Mendoza,” Huang said.
Huang said he was pleased with the No. 2 ranking overall.
“Since this is the last year that Bloomberg is ranking undergraduate programs, it would have been nice to continue our five-year streak of being No. 1. But I certainly am pleased with being ranked No. 2, especially since I realize all the hard work and dedication from students, faculty, staff and alumni that goes into making our program as excellent as it is,” Huang said.
Mendoza will continue its tradition of excellence in the coming years, Huang said.
“I also want to emphasize that regardless of any ranking, we remain faithful to our mission of service and vision that business is a force for good in society,” Huang said. “That never changes for us, and our students reflect its importance in all of the amazing things they do.”
Huang said he also appreciates the hard work of the career center at the University.
“Recruiters also ranked us highly, which definitely helped our overall score. This, too, is meaningful to me, because it reflects the hard work of the Notre Dame Career Center to place our students,” Huang said.
According to a University press release, Bloomberg updated their ranking methodology this year.
“Bloomberg updated the rankings to put a heavy emphasis on career paths. It no longer includes any academic quality metrics, such as intellectual capital or faculty research, which previously accounted for 30 percent of the ranking. While I agree that careers are important, I don’t agree with eliminating academic quality altogether,” Huang said.
Additionally, Huang said they eliminated the alumni feedback component.
“Bloomberg also excluded alumni ratings of their own alma maters in a portion of the recruiter feedback. To us, the Notre Dame network is an amazing resource for our students. We value their help and wisdom,” Huang said.
