The E.J. Ourso School of Business moved up one spot from last year to No. 48 out of 54 schools on Eduniversal Palmes 2009 rankings of internationally known U.S. institutes released Oct. 26 at its annual convention in Cape Cod, Mass.The college fell into the league of “Top Business Schools.”Selected deans from 1,000 business schools voted to give their recommendations about the business schools within the official selection.The Web site said deans were asked, “Which business school(s) would you recommend to anyone wishing to study in this country?”The official selection of 1,000 business schools is based on a study by the International Scientific Committee gathered by SMBG, the parent company of Eduniversal and French consultancy in orientation and human resources.Deans were not expected to vote for every country and were not allowed to recommend more than 50 percent of business schools in a selected country.”In the 2008 rankings, 41 percent of the Eduniversal voters recognized our excellence,” said LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business Dean Eli Jones. “This year, that number increased to 50 percent.”The College is currently working on an international business program and creating alliances with universities in China and Brazil to provide for exchanges among students and faculty, said Robert Justis, Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute director and management professor. “We’re also encouraging our students to learn foreign languages,” he said.Multilingual students will benefit the international business environment, Justis said. Jones’ good communication skills are another advantage of the college, he said. “We’re in the process of getting the word out about what we’re doing here,” Justis said. The rankings may help the College become better-known internationally, he said.The College of Business received four out of five Palmes, which indicate the level of an institution’s international reputation. The highest category is “Universal business schools with major international influence,” and the lowest category is “Good business schools with regional influence.” The United States had the most universities in the official selection with 156, followed by China with 55, France with 52, India with 51 and the United Kingdom with 50. This fall, 51 of the 1,720 undergraduates enrolled in the College of Business are international students. The College of Engineering hosts the most international students of any LSU college with 125 this semester.The top three business schools globally are Harvard Business School, London Business School and Copenhagen Business School. – – – -Contact Olga Kourilova at [email protected]