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    For the third consecutive time, The Maxwell School of Syracuse University sits atop the U.S. News and World Report’s triennial rankings of graduate schools of public affairs.  Maxwell was number one in 1995 and 1998, and in 2001 shares that distinction with Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

     Maxwell also ranked number one in the public affairs specialties of public management/administration and public finance & budgeting.  The School was among the top 10 graduate schools for all other public affairs specialties it offers:  public policy analysis, city management/urban policy, environmental policy and management, nonprofit management, social policy, and information and technology management.

     Maxwell School Dean John L. Palmer welcomes the good news.  “The retention of our high score and number one ranking is indicative of the strength and reputation of our programs,” he said.  “Our continued standing at the top of the field represents an extraordinary achievement, given the limited resources for our graduate public affairs mission compared to our closest competitors, and is testimony to the exceptional quality and dedication of the Maxwell faculty and staff who are responsible for our public affairs-related activities.”

     At the center of these rankings is Maxwell’s Public Administration department.   According to associate dean and PA chair Jeff Straussman, “This is well-deserved recognition of our top-notch faculty and staff and the high quality of the students that we attract.   But, like all of the highly ranked public affairs schools, we must continually respond to the rapidly changing, complex dimensions of domestic and global governance.”

     These rankings are based on a survey of 259 programs nationwide. The list was provided by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.  Schools surveyed must confer the M.P.A. (Master of Public Affairs or Master of Public Administration), the M.P.P. (Master of Public Policy), or the M.P.M. (Master of Public Management).

     Two questionnaires were sent to each program: one to the dean or department chair and one to an associate dean or senior faculty member who had extensive knowledge of public affairs programs.

     These individuals were asked to rate institutions based on their public affairs programs’ reputation for scholarship and curriculum, and the quality of their faculty and graduates. A point scale was used:  five points for a school considered “distinguished”; four points for “strong”; three points for “good”; two points for “adequate”; and one point for “marginal.” Respondents were asked to check a “don’t know” box, which had no point total, for schools with which they weren’t familiar.

     Scores for each school were totaled and divided by the number of respondents who rated that school one through five. Schools were ranked in descending order based on their average scores, with the highest possible score being 5.0.  The Maxwell School scored a 4.5.  The response rate for the questionnaire was 46 percent.