Curry faculty, staff, and students:</p>
<p>Congratulations to everyone! Today US News released its rankings for Graduate Schools and we moved up 7 slots to #24, cracking the top 25! Several programs were also ranked top ten, including a number in teacher education. This is a tremendous accomplishment as it reflects the regard of our peers for the good work we have been doing. I am quite confident we will continue to see an upward trend in this competitive environment as we continue our work.</p>
<p>This is truly an opportunity for all of us to celebrate and what better way to do that than by coming to the Spring Picnic today on what looks like a beautiful spring day. Hope to see you there.</p>
<p>Again, thanks to all of you for your hard work and participation - this is truly a collective achievement in which we can all take pride.</p>
<p>Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D.
Dean, Curry School of Education</p>
<hr>
<p>Dear Deans and Vice Presidents:</p>
<p>President Casteen asked that I send you some good news this morning.</p>
<p>U.S. News will release its best graduate schools/programs
Rankings today. Below is an early snapshot of the information Carol has received thus far. Once the official Rankings Web site is posted this morning, we may have access to a list that includes additional University programs.</p>
<hr>
<p>Five U.Va. Schools Make the Top 50 of U.S. News 2010 Best Graduate School
Rankings</p>
<p>April 22, 2009 < Five of the University of Virginia’s graduate schools and
12 of its programs are among the nation’s best, according U.S. News & World
Report¹s 2010 edition of America¹s Best Graduate Schools. The schools of
law, business, education, engineering, and medicine were all in the top 50.</p>
<p>U.S. News bases its rankings on expert opinions about program quality and
statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty,
research, and students. More than 1,200 programs and some 11,000 academics
and professionals participated in surveys last fall in order to compile the
rankings.</p>
<p>The School of Law led the University’s rankings, sharing 10th place with
Duke University and Northwestern University. The Darden School of Business
tied for 15th with Carnegie Mellon. The School of Medicine ranked 24th among
research universities and 29th among primary care programs.</p>
<p>The Curry School of Education moved up seven spots this year, moving into
the No. 24 position in a tie with five other universities. In a competitive
environment in which many other schools are also working diligently to
improve, Curry’s ascent is a tremendous step forward, said Dean Robert
Pianta.</p>
<p>It tied with such schools as Arizona State University, the University of
Illinois and the University of Maryland.</p>
<p>"This jump shows that our peers regard us as on the right track and as
serious about the quality of what we do.²</p>
<p>The U.Va. School of Engineering and Applied Science moved up one position in
the rankings from No. 38 last year to No. 37 for 2010, after a significant
rise the previous year. Factors for the school’s ranking include securing
$53.6 million in research funding in 2008, having 5.7 percent faculty
membership in the National Academy of Engineering and enrollment of 774
graduate students.</p>
<p>“Our rise in the rankings reflects a continuation of our strengths, respect
among our peers as well as improvements at the Engineering School,” said
Dean James H. Aylor. “We have much to celebrate and to look forward to
including the increased research capacities we will have when construction
is completed on Rice Hall, our information technology and engineering
building.”</p>
<p>In addition to the overall rankings of graduate schools, U.S. News ranks
individual departments and programs.</p>
<p>For the first time, ranked Ph.D. programs in several disciplines that fall
under the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. These were the
results of survey of department chairs and senior faculty from across the
country.</p>
<p>The College rankings include:
* English: 10th, three-way tie with Duke and UCLA;
* History (Corcoran): 20th, tie with Rutgers;
* Psychology: 23rd, six-way tie with such schools as Johns Hopkins,
Duke and the University of Chicago; and
* Economics: 28th, three-way tie with Ohio State University and
Washington University in St. Louis.</p>
<p>English, History and Psychology each had two specialties that received top
honors: American Literature Before 1865 (No. 4) and 18th- through
20th-Century British Literature (No. 6) in English; Developmental Psychology
(No. 4) and Social Psychology (No. 10) in Psychology; and Modern U.S.
History (No. 8) and U.S. Colonial History (No. 6) in History.</p>
<p>The Law School’s International Law program, which was ranked by best faculty
who teach in the field, tied for No. 8 with George Washington University.
The Darden School’s Business Management program also received a No. 8
ranking as judged by business school deans and MBA program directors.</p>
<p>The Curry School had four programs highlighted: Curriculum and Instruction
(No. 10); Elementary Education (No. 5); Secondary Education (No. 6); and
Special Education (No. 4).</p>
<p>