In addition to praising the experience that the Kelley School offers both inside and outside the classroom, students told the Princeton Review that its faculties were among the nation's best.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has again been given top honors by students who praise its faculty, facilities and the overall classroom experience in a new Princeton Review survey.

The Kelley School's Master of Business Administration program ranked No. 1 in a new category, "Best Classroom Experience," just ahead of Harvard University, as published today (Oct. 9) in Best 290 Business Schools: 2008 Edition (Random House/Princeton Review). It also ranked the Kelley School second in the categories for "Best Campus Facilities" and "Best Professors" and fourth for "Most Family Friendly."

Princeton Review compiled the lists based on its surveys of 19,000 students attending 290 business schools profiled in the book and on school-reported data.

"One of the hallmarks of the Kelley School is the quality of our faculty in terms of both scholarship and commitment to delivering world class performance in the classroom," said Daniel C. Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business. "We are pleased to be ranked No. 1 in the nation on the overall quality of the classroom experience and No. 2 in the nation on quality of professors. Our faculty have a deep commitment to providing intellectually rigorous courses delivered in a manner that engages students in active learning."

Smith added that Princeton's Review's methodology captures faculty teaching ability, recognition in their respective fields, integration of new practices and trends and the intellectual level of students' contributions to the classroom learning environment.

"This gets at the heart of what makes the Kelley School unique among elite business schools -- our collaborative student-faculty learning culture -- and makes our No. 1 ranking on quality of the classroom experience particularly gratifying," he said.

In the book, Princeton Review editors highlight the Kelley School's 15-week integrated core curriculum -- eight subjects taught by eight professors to start their studies -- as well as the academic rigor of faculty, industry-focused academies that provide concentration to business sectors and job prospects for students.

"Not many top-20 MBA programs earn accolades for their 'down-to-earth culture,' but the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington isn't just any top-20 MBA program," editors wrote. "Maybe it's the school's distance from the nation's economic epicenters, or maybe it's just the confidence that comes from having 'a phenomenal faculty' and a highly innovative, highly respected curriculum, but whatever the reason, students here leave the program with not only a first-rate education but also a singularly warm and fuzzy feeling about the school and their experiences there.

"Not content with being merely excellent, the school works hard to broaden its recruiting profile," they added. "Students tell us that over the past several years, many new companies have started to recruit on campus. Because Kelley is so strong in marketing, finance and general management, most of the companies had a focus in those areas … Indiana's famously loyal alumni network is also helpful when it comes time to find a job."

Other rankings similarly have praised the program. Business Week magazine last year ranked the program 18th best overall and sixth best among public university programs. Last month, a survey of corporate recruiters done by the Wall Street Journal found that Kelley was the fifth most favorite regional program.