Corporate Executives Discover a 'Bridge' for the Future of Tomorrow TAMPA, FL (October 27, 2009)—In today's world, seasoned business professionals possess the valuable insights and real-world experience students need to understand the rapidly changing environment. Yet the challenge for academia is how to effectively bridge this expertise to the classroom. Friday, October 23rd marked the eighth graduating class of an innovative solution—the AACSB Bridge Program. Developed as a way to prepare industry experts for a career in the classroom, this intensive five-day workshop gives business executives an inside look into academia—helping them understand how to transfer their real-world knowledge to the next generation of corporate leaders. The most recent AACSB Bridge Program, hosted by Babson College, graduated 25 business professionals with significant experience in a variety of business and non-profit fields including accounting, avionics, fabric manufacturing, finance, technology, banking and market research. The October 2009 Bridge Graduates are William A. Bachman, Charles Baecker, Patrick S. Bell, Sr. , Ralph Blessing, Ted W. Browne, Steven R. Champion, Tracey A. Fabrico-Basile, George Garner, Torsten Gerharz, Mark Gooley, Glen Justis, Rodney Lenfant, Alyssa Lovegrove, Marnie Matthews, Sandra Metraux, Janice Moen, Rob Muenkel, Dennis J. Popovec, Glen Schrank, Frank Schwab, Tonya Smalls, Tim Stanley, Alexander V. Steckelberg, and Emily Vu. The program grew out of findings of the AACSB International report, Management Education at Risk, which revealed concerns about a dwindling number of PhD graduates. The program attempts to bridge the gap between faculty shortages at AACSB accredited business schools and increase the number of high-quality professors with significant, relevant business experience. "The Bridge Program deals with one of the most fundamental challenges facing business schools today," said John J. Fernandes, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. "The program is consistent with AACSB's efforts to ensure that there is a rich pipeline of qualified professionals, beyond business PhDs, who can bring their expertise to the classroom." To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a master's degree and professional experience of significant duration and responsibility related to the area of teaching assignment. Individuals are carefully selected to ensure they will have a powerful impact in the classroom. Prior to enrollment, each applicant's experience is reviewed to ensure they meet the general requirements for a professionally qualified faculty member. As each business school has its own unique needs, graduates must apply to individual schools and each institution will assess how the specific experience and education meets those requirements. For more information on the AACSB Bridge Program or its recent graduates, visit www.BridgeProgram.aacsb.edu About AACSB International AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is a membership association of almost 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 74 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership. AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools — less than 5% worldwide have earned the achievement. As the premier membership and accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia headquarters is located in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.aacsb.edu. ###