Ranking roundup

Law school ranked 2nd in U.S., cited as 'excellent value' in magazines

The two leading national magazines for current and prospective law students have ranked the KU School of Law at No. 2 in the country in their annual "Best Schools for Your Money" survey.

National Jurist and its sister publication, PreLaw Insider, placed KU in a tie for second in the nation among public universities that provide "the best bang for the buck." KU also was one of only 11 schools to receive an "excellent value" designation and ranks above any other Kansas or Big 12 Conference school.

"This recognition, which is based solely on objective criteria and the cost of a KU legal education, is a wonderful validation of what many long have known about the strength of the KU law school and the quality of education we provide," said Stephen McAllister, dean of law. "KU law graduates can compete with anyone, anywhere in the country, and they do not leave law school with large debts."

The rankings are based on tuition, bar pass rates, unemployment rates for graduates, the median grant given to students as a percentage of tuition, number of clinic slots available as compared to total enrollment, and the faculty-student ratio.

Citing KU as the top law school for Kansas City law firms, the magazine noted that KU graduates also work in every large market in the country, thanks in part to faculty contacts.

KU breaks into top 25 for producing Peace Corps volunteers

For the first time, KU ranks 25th in the nation among large colleges and universities for the number of Peace Corps volunteers produced in 2003. KU has 41 volunteers serving in the Peace Corps, a marked increase over 29 in 2002. Betty Baron, KU's Peace Corps coordinator and a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968, attributes the rise in volunteers to the unique opportunities the Peace Corps offers students. The University of Wisconsin-Madison tops the large college and university list with 142 volunteers. For more information on KU's Peace Corps program, visit www.ku.edu/~uces/peacecorps/

Pharmacy chapter wins national chapter of year — again and again and again

For the third time in four years, the KU School of Pharmacy student chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association has been named chapter of the year by the national organization.

KU competed against 51 other chapters in the competition. Each chapter submits a report outlining its community service and professional development programs. Winners are chosen based on the level and scope of those programs. KU also won the award in 2000 and 2001.

KU's NCPA members have volunteered to provide bone density screenings at local hospital community health fairs and have assisted pharmacies across the state with blood glucose and cholesterol screenings at local health fair events. They also have gone Christmas caroling at Lawrence nursing homes and participated in other community service projects such as Habitat for Humanity.

The chapter also sponsors trips to independent pharmacies in Kansas to show students the practice of community pharmacy and give them a chance to network with community pharmacists.

School of Pharmacy ranks 2nd among all schools in NIH funding

The School of Pharmacy ranks second among the nation's elite programs in securing funding from the National Institutes of Health, according to a recent analysis of data.

For fiscal year 2003, KU's pharmacy school received more than $13.6 million in NIH funding. KU and the University of California-San Francisco were the only two among all 64 schools and colleges of pharmacy across the nation to receive NIH funding that surpassed $12 million.

"This is a reflection of the diligence of KU's faculty and staff," said Jack E. Fincham, dean of pharmacy. "The NIH funding is a testament to the cutting-edge research being performed by our faculty."

In FY 2002, KU received slightly more than $10 million in NIH awards and was ranked third nationally. In FY 2001, KU received NIH awards totaling more than $8 million, ranking fifth nationally.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy compiled the statistics used for the rankings.

Debate team ranked 5th in nation-and above Harvard

The latest National Debate Tournament Varsity rankings place the KU team at fifth in the nation.

"KU's move up the national rankings has been a result of excellent performance at a number of tournaments throughout the season," says Scott Harris, debate coach.

The University of California-Berkeley team is ranked number one nationally with Emory University in Atlanta; the University of Texas at Austin; and Michigan State in East Lansing ranked ahead of KU. Harvard University and Dartmouth College trail KU in sixth and seventh place.

NDT Varsity rankings are based on the top two senior division teams from a school at eight tournaments. KU has qualified for the NDT 32 consecutive times, the second longest active streak in the country. KU debaters have won the coveted national title four times. KU has sent more teams to the National Debate Tournament than any other college or university and recently has begun a tradition of competition in the Cross-Examination Debate Association.