Darden Professors are No. 1, Princeton Review Says

October 7, 2008 -- For the second consecutive year, the Princeton Review has ranked the faculty at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business as the best in the business.

In the just-published 2009 edition of its "Best 296 Business Schools," the Princeton Review ranked Darden No. 1. in the "Best Professors" category. Darden professors were ranked first in 2008 also. In the 2007 and 2006 editions, they were No. 2.

"The commitment to teaching at Darden is really remarkable," Robert Bruner, dean of the Darden School, said Tuesday.

"Whether in their first year or their fourth decade at Darden, our professors place a number one priority on their teaching," he added. "That is reflected in the Princeton Review's ranking."

The Princeton Review does not rank business schools on a single hierarchical list, or name a best overall b-school. Rather, the book ranks schools in 11 categories.

"We select schools for this book based on our high regard for their academic programs and offerings, institutional data we collect from the schools, and the candid opinions of students attending them who rate and report on their campus experiences at the schools," said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's vice president for publishing. "We are pleased to recommend Darden to readers of our books and users of our Web site as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA."

J. Ari Perlman, who will graduate from Darden next year, said the top ranking for his professors is well justified.

"They are dynamic inside the classroom and always available outside of it," he said. "More than lecturing, they play the role of maestro to the case discussions -- able to orchestrate individual student's inputs to a higher level of synthesis for the class as a whole."

Peter L. Rodriguez, associate professor of business administration and associate dean for international affairs and director of the Tayloe Murphy International Center, said no one at Darden settles for less than the best.

"The highest teaching standards are in Darden’s DNA," he said.  "Great students are built in the classroom, and at Darden the classroom is taken very, very seriously."
  
Darden ranked in the top 10 in five other categories:

•   Campus facilities	No. 5
•    Campus environment	No. 6
•    Most family friendly	No. 7
•    Best career perspectives	No. 7
•    Best classroom experience	No. 9

The Princeton Review surveyed 19,000 students attending the 296 business schools profiled in the new book. Rankings and lists found in the book are available at www.princetonreview.com.