EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University’s fast-growing study abroad, student volunteer and residential college programs are considered national leaders in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” which hits newsstands Aug. 25, also ranks the Eli Broad College of Business at No. 25 among business schools and five of the college's undergraduate specialty programs in the top 15 in their respective categories.

Overall, MSU was ranked No. 71 among 260 national universities and No. 30 among 164 public universities.

The study abroad, student volunteer and residential college programs are listed as “programs to look for” in the report. Ranked alongside programs at schools such as Columbia and Stanford, these initiatives are called “outstanding examples of academic programs that are commonly linked to student success.”

For MSU, the increasingly popular programs represent the university’s commitment to providing an immersive, valued learning experience in a global setting.

MSU has the largest study abroad program among U.S. public universities, according to a recent report by the Institute of International Education. Participation has more than doubled in a decade – from 1,454 students in 1997-98 to 2,969 students in 2007-08.

With more than 250 programs in 62 countries on all continents, study abroad at MSU helps students stay on track for graduation by offering credits in a diverse selection of courses. More than 30 percent of graduating seniors participate.

MSU’s student volunteer, or service learning, program also has seen a dramatic spike in participation. A record 14,511 students participated in 2007-08, compared with just 7,073 students in 2002-03.

Through MSU’s Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, students volunteer at more than 350 nonprofit entities, from hospitals to soup kitchens. Launched as the Office of Volunteers in 1968, it’s the oldest continuously operated service-learning center in the nation, said director Karen McKnight Casey.

In residential colleges, or learning communities, students take linked courses and often live together – with the goal of integrating learning and living in a dynamic way in which conversations spill outside classrooms and faculty and students get to know one another well.

MSU has three residential colleges – James Madison College, which focuses on public affairs; Lyman Briggs College, which focuses on science; and the Residential College for Arts and Humanities, or RCAH, which focuses on arts and humanities in a global context. James Madison and Lyman Briggs were both founded in 1967; RCAH was established last school year.

Enrollment at both Lyman Briggs and James Madison has grown steadily in the past few years to reach an all-time high (1,861 students at Briggs; 1,267 at Madison). RCAH, with a second year of students now enrolled, is on track to reach its capacity of about 500 students after four years.

MSU also has several other learning communities, including a four-year program for students studying the environment and one for students who use American Sign Language.

Among the best specialty business programs, the Eli Broad College of Business fared well, with several programs improving in rank:

• Supply chain management fell from No. 1 last year to No. 2 this year, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology taking over the top spot.
• Production/operations management moved up to No. 9 from No. 12 last year.
• Accounting improved to No. 10 from No. 13 last year.
• Management moved up to No. 11 from No. 14 last year.
• Marketing jumped five spots, to No. 15 from No. 20.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.