News
Wilder School Ranks #45 in Latest U.S. News & World Report
Also ranks #39 in Public Management and Leadership
By Briana Williams
The 2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings confirm the Wilder School among the nation’s top 20% of graduate schools of public affairs at No. 45. The school also ranks No. 39 in Public Management & Leadership, marking the first time the Wilder School has ranked in one of the specialty areas.
“This is the first time the school has received the additional ranking within the Public Management and Leadership specialty area, which serves as a clear indicator of the Wilder School’s continued momentum relative to national reputation,” said Interim Dean Susan Gooden. "This is a real point of pride for our school.”
The Wilder School’s 45th ranking in the nation comes on the heels of continued collaborations and successful strides of the Wilder School’s faculty and students at a state, national and global level across all of our programs. The specialty ranking in Public Management and Leadership reflects the strength of our offerings in this area, including our Masters of Public Administration program and our signature leadership programs in the Center for Public Policy.
Evidence of this includes the Wilder School’s high level of recognition by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). This year, five faculty members and students were selected to be recognized for their outstanding scholarly and professional contributions at the ASPA 2020 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA. Although the five-day conference was canceled this year due to COVID-19, we salute each of these honorees.
THE 2020 ASPA HONOREES FROM THE VCU WILDER SCHOOL ARE:
- Saltanat (Salta) Liebert, Associate Professor
2020 Julia Juanita Henderson International Award
- Sombo Chunda, Doctoral Candidate
2020 Suffragette Scholarship Recipient & NP3 (Nonprofit Policy, Practice and Partnerships) Section Award
- Yolanda Crewe, Doctoral Candidate
Founders’ Fellow
- Brittany Keegan, Director of Research and Outreach, Center for Public Policy
Patricia J. Yearwood Section Newsletter Award
- Megan Rollins, December 2019 MPA Graduate
Capstone Project Student Paper Presentation
The U.S. News & World Report speciality ranking also speaks to the quality of the leadership programs within our Center for Public Policy, including, for example, the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute’s HIGHER Ground Women’s Leadership Development Program and Minority Political Leadership Institute and the Performance Management Group’s Virginia Executive Institute. Each year, hundreds of participants from across the commonwealth enhance their leadership skills from these robust programs.
Informing state leadership is also a core aspect of the Wilder School. The Center for Public Policy conducts the Wilder School Commonwealth Poll multiple times each year. This poll provides policymakers with an up-to-date snapshot of public opinion on policy issues in the commonwealth, including voting intentions, current events, economic and workforce development, public safety, education, and public health.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students. To view the full listing of rankings and for more information, visit: grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools.