TOPEKA — The Washburn University School of Business has been named an outstanding business school by The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company features the school in the recently published 2009 edition of “Best 296 Business Schools” (Random House/Princeton Review).

This is the second year the Washburn School of Business has been featured in the guidebook, making the list as one of the best business schools in the nation in 2007.

“Best 296 Business Schools” has two-page profiles of the schools and their MBA programs, with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions, plus ratings for their academics, selectivity and career placement services.

“We are so very pleased to have received such a high rating for our MBA program here at Washburn,” said David Sollars, Dean of the School of Business. “We offer students an affordable, high-quality program geared towards working professionals in this region. To be associated with the top business programs in the country is the result of the dedication of our faculty, the hard work of our students, and the support of our alumni, supporters, and the regional business community.”

In the profile on Washburn, the Princeton Review editors noted the MBA program seeks to improve a student’s skills in quantitative analysis, teamwork and technology, while teaching students how to think like business leaders and giving them the skills and confidence needed to succeed professionally.

The Princeton Review compiles the book’s ratings and ranking lists based on institutional data it collects from the schools and on its surveys of more than 19,000 students attending the schools profiled in the book. The lists are posted at www.PrincetonReview.com. In 2006, the Washburn University School of Business earned accreditation of its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in business administration from AACSB-International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only the top five percent of business programs in the world have achieved AACSB accreditation. Washburn offered its first business degree program in 1946, and today boasts more than 7,000 Washburn business alumni. The School also hosts the Washburn University Small Business Development Center (WUSBDC) and serves a nine county region from offices in Topeka and Manhattan by offering help to small businesses and fledgling entrepreneurs.