The risk management/insurance program in Florida State University's College of Business held fast to its fourth-place spot among all public institutions in U.S. News and World Report's recently released undergraduate rankings for 2009.

The college's real estate program rose in the standings, once again breaking into the Top 10 list of public programs nationwide and rising to No. 8.

Dean Caryn L. Beck-Dudley said the programs' achievements underscore why the College of Business ranks in the top 30 among the nation's public undergraduate business schools in U.S. News' "America's Best Colleges 2009" edition. She said the upward trajectory of these programs attracts academic stars.

"The past reputation of our strong programs has allowed us to add two faculty members of international stature to our already robust faculty who have been leading the college toward preeminence," said Beck-Dudley. "Rising star Patty Born, well-regarded internationally, joins our risk management/insurance faculty. The college also has hired C.F. Sirmans to fill the new Harold and Barbara Chastain Eminent Scholar Chair in Real Estate. One of the nation's leading real estate economists, Sirmans' range of scholarship is unparalleled."

The risk management/insurance program ranked fifth among all universities, a step up from its sixth place last year.

"This is another high mark for our risk management and insurance faculty," Beck-Dudley said. "They continue to build on the college's strong history of providing top-notch education for those tasked with reducing uncertainty and offering protection from catastrophic loss."

Faculty members say Florida's struggles with destructive hurricanes and subsequent damages and insurance claims provide fodder for FSU's classrooms. The Legislature last year created the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center at the College of Business, which helps the state prepare for, respond to, and recover from major storms. FSU also was the first major university to offer a fully accredited online RMI graduate program.

This is the real estate program's highest ranking since first making the list three years ago. The program is No. 11 among all universities nationwide.

"We are, of course, very pleased to be recognized as having one of the nation's leading programs," said Dean Gatzlaff, director of the Center for Real Estate Education & Research who chaired the department last school year. "The program's high ranking – out of perhaps 150 programs nationally – stems largely from the strength of its faculty, the quality of its students and the support of its alumni and friends."

Florida State University is one of the top 50 public universities in the country, according to the U.S. News and World Report rankings. FSU tied with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst for 50th place among the top 50 public "national" universities. In addition, FSU's overall ranking jumped 10 places to No. 102 among all universities — public and private — up from last year's ranking of 112.

For more information about the College of Business, please go to www.cob.fsu.edu.