This is the most comprehensive and careful study of business school research to date, and the results are very favorable for the Texas Business School. Our position above Harvard is noteworthy, but even more so is our change in rank over time. This improvement, unmatched among top-twenty schools, is a tribute to the hard work and creativity of our faculty, and demonstrates the impact that we can achieve with our combination of size and quality. Many of our constituents do not read academic research articles and may wonder why the University and the Business School care so much about research. Because the answer to this question is so fundamental to our educational mission, we would like to address it here.
Research is one of the most important ways that Texas stands out in the educational marketplace.
As much as any other factor, research is helping Texas become a global leader in creating business knowledge, education, and leadership of the highest impact. Research has always been fundamental to major state universities. In fact, it is one of the primary reasons they were founded during the 19th century. Until that time, most colleges trained the clergy and scions of wealthy families, giving them traditional classical or theological educations. With the Industrial Revolution, change became a way of life, and innovation and new technology displaced traditional thought as major success factors-both for individuals and economies.