AACSB Press Release - Missouri Western State University Earns AACSB International Accreditation


Missouri Western State University Earns AACSB International Accreditation

TAMPA, FL, USA (April 6, 2010)AACSB International announced today that Missouri Western State University has earned accreditation for its Steven L. Craig School of Business. Founded in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

“AACSB congratulates Missouri Western State University and dean Carol Roever on earning accreditation, and we welcome them into the AACSB family of accredited business schools,” said John J. Fernandes, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “AACSB accreditation represents the highest achievement for an educational institution that awards business
degrees. Dean Roever and the faculty, directors, and administrative staff of Missouri Western State
University are to be commended for their role in earning initial accreditation.”

AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than five percent of the world’s business schools. Today, there are 593 business schools in 37 countries that maintain AACSB accreditation. Similarly, 173 institutions maintain an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs.

Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and adjustment and can take several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to meet the 21 AACSB standards requiring a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement, and curricula responsive to the needs of business. As required by AACSB standards, all accredited schools must go through a peer review process every five years in order to maintain their accreditation.

“It takes a great deal of self evaluation and determination to earn AACSB accreditation, and I commend Missouri Western State University for its dedication to management education and its leadership within the community,” said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Through accreditation, Missouri Western State University has not only met specific standards of excellence, but has also made a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the university will continue to deliver high quality education to its students.”

AACSB International also announced that City University London (United Kingdom), Drury University (USA), Fudan University (China), Hanyang University (South Korea), Hong Kong Baptist University (China), IESE Business School (Spain), Midwestern State University (USA), Montana State University–Billings (USA), National Taiwan University (Chinese Taipei), Reims Management School (France), The University of Hong Kong (China), Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) have earned AACSB accreditation in business, and Kent State University (USA), North Carolina State University (USA), Seton Hall University (USA), and The University of Hong Kong (China) have earned AACSB accreditation in accounting. Additionally, 63 institutions have maintained their accreditation in business and 17 have maintained their accreditation in accounting.


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 leading membership and accrediting 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

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