Rankings Places CPACS Among Nation's Best

• 2016/03/16
• contact: Charley Reed
• phone: 402.554.2129
• email: unonews@unomaha.edu

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Omaha – CPACS is home to one of the nation’s top colleges for graduate-level public affairs education according to the latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report, which were released today. 

The College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) was recognized in a number of categories with this year’s rankings, including a top-25 ranking for Public Administration. 

The ranking places UNO’s Public Administration program in the top 10 percent of all public affairs programs in the country, alongside programs housed at Georgetown University, Georgia State University, Ohio State University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 

“These rankings from U.S. News and World Report indicate that our dedication to high quality public service education has not gone unnoticed by our peers,” said Ethel Williams, director of the UNO School of Public Administration. “To be co-ranked with such prominent schools from across the country not only confirms our program quality but brings greater visibility and credibility to what we do.”

Within the School of Public Administration, a number focus areas were also highly recognized, including Public Finance and Budgeting, which ranked 6th; Nonprofit Management, which ranked 12th, City Management and Urban Policy, which ranked 15th; and Public Management Administration, which ranked 19th. 

Also ranked from CPACS this year was the graduate program from the Grace Abbott School of Social Work, which came in at No. 91, which places it in the top half of social work programs in the country.

This year’s rankings complement earlier rankings from U.S. News and World Report highlighting CPACS programs, including the Online Bachelor’s of General Studies Degree, which ranked as the 17th best online bachelor’s program in the country for 2016, and recognition for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which currently features the No. 17 best graduate program in the country and the No. 18 best online degree program in its field. 

“Our College has ten programs ranked in the top 25 in the nation,” said CPACS Dean John Bartle. “We are a great asset for Nebraska students, but also a national center for learning, applied research and solving public problems.”

Founded in 1972, CPACS is the only college in the University of Nebraska system dedicated entirely to public affairs and civic engagement. As such, it serves a statewide mission of coupling quality education with professional services for any students looking to improve their communities.

“There is no question that these rankings confirm the quality of our graduate-level education here at UNO,” said Deborah Smith-Howell, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of Graduate Studies. “I am incredibly proud that we are able to offer such a high level of education, across multiple areas of study, to our students.”