CEHS holds rank in nation’s top 30 education schools
The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services recently received rankings against other colleges in the nation. The college was ranked in the top-30 graduate schools in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report and was the only school from Utah to place in the top-50.
“We’ve done this for 12 years,” said James Dorward, associate dean for the college. “We’ve been ranked fairly high for the last 9 years.”
For funded research, the college placed seventh.
“There’s a couple of things that make USU and this college outstanding, and one of them is how much money researchers bring in,” Dorward said.
Dorward said USU brought in $12.8 million in research and other funds, including donations.
“It’s usually in the top-five or 10 in the country, which is amazing for a school of northern Utah,” Dorward said.
“It’s nice to know we have professors that are really good at research and can help us with that,” said CEHS graduate student Andrea Call.
The rankings aren’t just important to the college.
“A lot of people pay attention to it,” Dorward said. “It’s rather exciting, and it means a lot.”
Dorward said the college this year ranked a little lower than before.
“We need to get the word out on some of the very good programs and research,” Dorward said.
He said, “It’s kind of a double-edge sword. It is really important that people at Columbia University know what good research is coming out of USU.”
Ben Lignugaris-Kraft, special education and rehabilitation department head, said the CEHS faculty are very involved nationally and in professional organizations.
“We do our best, but sometimes people don’t know much about what we do,” Dorward said.
Dorward said gathering the necessary information to fill out the survey application, which is due in November, usually takes about a month and a half.
“The most challenging thing is to make sure our numbers are as accurate as they can be,” Dorward said.
While the college is pleased with the ratings, it is looking for improvement in the future.
“I think we’re a little better than 28th or 23rd. I think we’re in the top-20,” Dorward said. “I think our people are just really good.”
He said, “When you get that ranking and look at it, our test scores and undergraduate GPAs are really high even compared to other schools.”
Lignugaris-Kraft said the college has three primary focuses: research, service and teaching.
He said the research provides new knowledge. He said service is an opportunity to give back to community, and teaching is a way to get involved.
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