GVSU's graduate program for nonprofit management is one of the best in the nation, according to a nationwide survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.
The news will be in the cover story, America's Best Graduate Schools, featured in the April 9, 2001 issue of U.S. News & World Report. GVSU's Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program, offered through its School of Public and Nonprofit Administration, was ranked 15th in the nation among graduate schools for nonprofit management. Also tied for that position are the University of Michigan and the University of Utah.
We've felt for some time that we have one of the best programs in the region, said Dan Balfour, director of the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration. Being included on this prestigious list validates all the work that has gone into this program and shows that Grand Valley continues to advance in its reputation as a professional, student-oriented institution.
Balfour credits an excellent curriculum and first-rate faculty for the high ranking. He also praises a distinctive aspect of the curriculum as important for students: its emphasis on service learning and a broad-based study of philanthropy.
Students get a really good mix of theory and practice. Almost all of the courses have some component in which they do work for a nonprofit, Balfour said. There are a lot of connections with the community and local organizations.
The ranking was the first since 1998 and was based on a survey conducted in fall, 2000, which asked program directors, deans, department chairs and other knowledgeable people to rate programs in their discipline on such factors as curriculum, record of scholarship, and quality of faculty and graduates. A list of eligible nonprofit management programs was obtained from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Grand Valley's nonprofit program was initiated in 1990. By 1993, students in the Master of Public Administration program could concentrate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. More recently, a seven-course program for a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership was added, with support from GVSU's Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy. About 40 graduate students in the MPA program focus their studies on nonprofit management each year.
A complete list of top-rated graduate schools is available at the U.S. News Web site: www.usnews.com/usnews/edu.
