May 26, 2004
Anne Brooks Ranallo, editorial associate
aranallo@uic.edu

Public administration program sixth in city management in U.S. News ranks

UIC's graduate program in public administration ranks sixth in the area of city management and urban policy, according to US News and World Report's guide, "America's Best Graduate Schools, 2004." That score is up from 15th in the magazine's 2003 guide.

Overall, the public administration program ranked 46 among 278 such programs across the country, for the first time moving into the top 50.   In addition, the three-year-old specialty in public finance ranked 21st in the nation.  

A committed faculty is the reason for the greater recognition, said Michael A. Pagano, director of the graduate program in public administration.

"Our courses are taught by scholars who are professionally engaged and active researchers, respected by their peers, and available for students at the students' convenience," Pagano said. "George Beam won the prestigious alumni teaching award for Excellence in Teaching. James Thompson has received the prestigious Mosher award two times for best article in Public Administration Review in one year; no other individual has won the award twice. Julia Melkers has recently won a Fulbright to Latvia. Faculty are constantly invited to speak at professional and trade associations in the US and abroad." Pagano pointed that the number of students in the program has nearly doubled in three years, course offerings have increased by more than 25 percent, the full-time faculty has increased from eight to 11, and external funding has increased from $10,000 two years ago to more than $150,000 today.

"Our goal for the 2007 rankings is to be in the top 25 MPA programs nationally," Pagano said, adding that he expects much higher rankings in the areas of city management, public finance, public management, and information technology.