Wishes of sympathy and goodwill poured in from member institutions around the world following the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina, which caused nearly 900 deaths and destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property in the southeastern United States.

Representative of offers of help and support received from around the world are these from ESSCA in France, Babson College in Massachusetts, Rollins College in Florida, and Loyola University of New Orleans.

"I would like to express our sympathy to those of you who may have family or friends there ... if you have any suggestions as to how we could help—for example, those who may find their campuses closed and need to find places for their students, then please do not hesitate to contact us," wrote Michel Poté, director general of ESSCA in France.

Babson College offered to admit students from Tulane University and Loyola University of New Orleans who would be unable to attend classes on their own campuses, and authorized a two-week paid leave of absence for faculty and staff members who wanted to donate their time to the relief effort. Babson will accept students for fall 2005 semester who are enrolled in good standing at Tulane or Loyola. Tulane and Loyola students will be recognized as full Babson community members, with full eligibility for involvement in campus activities.

The graduate school of business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., announced it would accept students from impacted institutions. "We just want to do our part to help students so they don’t have to delay their education because of this natural disaster," said Craig McAllaster, dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business.

According to Pat O’Brien at Loyola University of New Orleans: "We will keep all of our faculty and staff on the payroll for the fall semester and will try to place students in programs across the country. We are most appreciative of the overwhelming support received from universities in virtually every state in the nation."

Some Louisiana schools, while not dramatically affected by the storm, nevertheless felt the terrible impact of the natural disaster.

"Lafayette (Louisiana) was physically unaffected by the storm," said Paula Carson, business dean at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. "But we bear deep emotional scars. Some of our faculty lost homes and many have evacuees now indefinitely residing with them. Many of our students have been mobilized for National Guard responsibilities, and many are medics.

"We have made a decision as a state, university, and college that we will accept (under tuition deferred/exempt status and other financial concessions) transfers from the University of New Orleans, Loyola, and Tulane. We believe it is the right thing to do, but when you see the evacuees come into this office with nothing but the clothes on their back and a soul full of fear and uncertainty, this conclusion is easily reached.

AACSB is working with schools in the affected areas to grant extra reporting deadline flexibility because of the storm. Schools with scheduled visits for accreditation or maintenance of accreditation in 2006-2007 will be offered revised schedules. No accreditation visits have been scheduled in the affected areas for the rest of this year. Peer review teams will be encouraged to be flexible in dealing with student admission policies for schools who admit displaced students from the Gulf Cost region. Many schools plan to expedite the admission of students in response to the storm and the suspension of school operations in the region.

AACSB International expressed its concern in an open statement on its web site:

"With profound sadness and concern, AACSB International sends a message of heartfelt compassion to AACSB member business schools and their university communities affected by the terrible tragedy of Hurricane Katrina," the statement said.

"The destructive toll on lives and property in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama will create a significant challenge for the entire region. However, it is during the most difficult of times–when the need is greatest–that the kindred spirit of humankind becomes most visible. For this reason we are confident that the enduring character of historic cities like New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, and Mobile, will enable these communities to rebuild and carry on.

"AACSB International joins its more than 1,000 member institutions in 74 nations to extend wishes of sympathy and support for the thousands of citizens who suffered in the storm's path. We sincerely hope that everyone experiences a safe, swift, and thorough recovery.