UA Leads the Nation in Rehabilitation Publications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas has received the No. 1 ranking for institutional productivity in scholarly publications in the field of rehabilitation. An assessment of authorship in six core rehabilitation journals was published in the fall issue of the "Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin" and showed the UA rehabilitation education and research faculty leading the nation in publication productivity.

Reed Greenwood, dean on the College of Education and Health Professions, said: "The assessment data confirms what rehabilitation professionals throughout the country have known for many years. Members of the UA rehabilitation research and education faculty are outstanding scholars. We in the college are proud to claim them as colleagues. In addition to a national record of publication and service, they have made tremendous contributions in the state of Arkansas, particularly in research and development of programs that benefit people with hearing impairment."

Researchers Steven L. West and Amy J. Armstrong of Virginia Commonwealth University and Kimberly A. Ryan of the College of William and Mary undertook the assessment because of the increasing importance of publications to the reputation of universities and to "the flow of funding, resources, and materials into the various rehabilitation counseling programs."

Institutions were ranked by two different methods. First, the top 20 institutions from a total of 901 institutions in 15 countries were identified, based on the raw number of times faculty members appeared as authors in the key journals from 1997 to 2002. From this list the researchers calculated an institutional productivity ranking based on an individual’s position in the list of authors for each paper. Thus, in a paper with a single author, the institution received a credit of one. With multiple authors, credit was pro-rated. For example, when there were three co-authors, the first was credited with .47 points, the second with .32 points and the third with .21 points.

Under the weighted system of ranking, which emphasizes each author’s contribution to a particular article and cumulatively the institution’s contribution to rehabilitation publications, the University of Arkansas achieved a ranking of 39.35, well ahead of the next-ranked institution, Virginia Commonwealth University at 32.63 points. The only other institution to achieve more than 30 points was Pennsylvania State University with 30.69 points.

Richard Roessler, a University Professor of rehabilitation education and research, said: "Years of support from the state, the federal government and the university have sustained a vigorous rehabilitation program with some of the most involved faculty in the country. The influence of the University of Arkansas has been felt at many levels in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Besides this outstanding record of publication, our faculty and our alumni are leaders nationally."

The UA rehabilitation research and education doctoral program began in 1990. Graduates currently hold positions as educators, researchers and administrators in 13 higher education institutions. UA alumnus Phillip Rumrill directs the Center for Disability Studies at Kent State University, which was ranked fourth in the publication assessment. Graduates of the UA rehabilitation counseling program are on the faculty of other institutions in the top 20 ranking, including Syracuse University and the University of Memphis.

U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked the UA master’s in rehabilitation counseling program among the top 15 programs nationally. Faculty members hold positions of leadership within the field. Professor Glenn Anderson chairs the board of trustees of Gallaudet University, the foremost institution of higher education for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Roessler received two notable national awards in 2004, the Distinguished Career Award in Rehabilitation Education from the National Council on Rehabilitation Education and the James F. Garrett Award for a Distinguished Career in Rehabilitation from the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association.