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The Observer

Case Western Reserve University's independent student news source

The Observer

Case Western Reserve University's independent student news source

The Observer

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Editorial: Veering from engineering

Case Western Reserve University has an excellent reputation as an engineering school, and the majority of its undergraduates are engineering majors. But CWRU is much more than engineering. It offers world-class programs in nursing, management, and business. Its School of Medicine recently published a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research. There are many facets of CWRU that deserve recognition, but seem to be doomed to remain in the shadow of the engineering school.

According to a recent Daily, the Mandel School’s master’s program in social work currently ranks ninth of 215 in the country. CWRU’s health law and international law programs rank 8th and 11th, respectively. The School of Nursing’s master’s program is ranked 15th and its geriatric nurse practitioner program fifth nationwide.

The Weatherhead School recently moved up the rankings from 40 to 36 – its highest place ever – among undergraduate business schools in Bloomberg Businessweek. This is especially impressive considering Weatherhead is competing in the top 40 with much larger schools like Notre Dame, Penn State, and Indiana University. This means CWRU’s business students are receiving a top-40 education, while enjoying smaller classes and more attention from professors than students at other schools.

These statistics should serve as reminders to all students that our school is one to be proud of in all aspects. Not only does it consistently excel in just about every field, it is always working to improve these areas in terms of rankings, research, and student experience.

Still, CWRU has had a reputation as an engineering school for decades, and in some ways it feels like we’ve been pigeonholed as such. But while engineering may be the favorite child among CWRU schools, but this is not to say that other areas are neglected. Students in other fields sometimes complain that their departments don’t get the press they deserve, but this is about all they have to complain about. These students have just as many opportunities for internships and extracurriculars, and just as fulfilling a college experience.

And this is not to say the engineering school doesn’t deserve the recognition it gets. CWRU engineering is nationally respected and has been for decades, in terms of both academics and research. The biomedical program was recently ranked 10th in the nation by US News and World Report. The engineering school consistently boasts placement percentages in the upper 90s.

The good news is that CWRU seems to be marketing itself less and less as an “engineering” school and more as a “well-rounded” school – a place where students can custom-build their education from any number of equally high-caliber departments. We hope that CWRU students recognize this, and take pride in their school’s multifaceted excellence.

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