By Sean Grogan (Contributing Writer)
Oswego State’s school of business has been named to a prestigious list for the ninth consecutive year.
The Princeton Review named Oswego State in its book, “The Best 296 Business Schools: 2013 Edition.” The Princeton Review ranks the best MBA-granting schools, both from the United States and other nations.
Richard Skolnik, the dean of Oswego State’s business school, is pleased to be named as a top MBA-granting business college. He also said that being added to the Princeton Review’s list says more about the school than many other surveys, because the Princeton Review is driven by student opinion.
“A lot of the others look at how many PhDs, what’s the acceptance rate or things like that,” Skolnik said. “Whereas this survey will actually ask students; what do you think of your business program?”
Skolnik believes being ranked as a top school will help attract future students, since they can read how current students feel about Oswego State. He also pointed out that high school students often turn to guides such as the Princeton Review. A positive write-up on any school can influence their decisions.
“We have rigorous coursework, faculty that are concerned about student success and a student body that is helpful and has a strong sense of community,” Skolnik said. “I think those are three themes that really come out of the survey.”
Oswego State has managed to remain on this list of top accredited business schools for nearly a decade. Skolnik credits this level of consistency to the school’s culture.
“We have a great culture of our students, the culture in the faculty and the alumni,” Skolnik said. “There’s that culture of students being actively involved, and having leadership positions.”
Skolnik said the alumni maintain a strong connection with the school after graduation. He added that there will be alumni on campus this week meeting students and making presentations in classrooms.
Senior business administration major Joe Rosetti said he heard from one of his professors that Oswego State had been named one of “The Best 296 Business Schools.”
“One of the reasons I picked Oswego was because it had a good business school,” Rosetti said. “It was one of the best for business of all the SUNY schools.”
While he was aware Oswego State’s business school had a good reputation, Rosetti said he was not aware it was as acclaimed as it is. He feels being named one of the top schools for business in a survey that includes international schools could be a big draw for potential students.
Rosetti said the strength of Oswego State’s business school comes from both the promotion of hands-on learning and good professors.
“We have good professors with real-world business experience,” Rosetti said. “You trust what they say and want to learn from them. Having someone who’s worked in the field is better than having someone who went through the system just to teach.”
