UMKC management program get higher marks in new rankings

Last year, the University of Missouri-Kansas City business school landed a $32 million gift for a new building.

This year, the school announced Wednesday, one of its departments got a boost in its marks from the much-watched U.S. News & World Report “Best Grad Schools” rankings.

The nonprofit management emphasis in the Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s master of public administration program jumped 10 spots in the magazine’s ratings, from its former ranking at No. 25 to No. 15 in the nation.

In its new position, UMKC ties with Arizona State University and the University of Georgia. And it lands above prestigious schools such as Seton Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, Duke and North Carolina State University.

UMKC officials also announced the launch of a program that would allow students from all disciplines to collaborate and compete in developing innovative strategies for urban communities.

The new Aaron L. Levitt Social Entrepreneurship Challenge, run out of the Bloch School’s department of public affairs, is similar to the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge — another UMKC competition designed to encourage collaboration across disciplines.