October/November 2010
Management Education News from AACSB International
Accreditation: Study Aims to Explore the Value of AACSB Accreditation
Several weeks ago, AACSB International initiated an independent research study to explore the value of AACSB Accreditation. The data collection has included qualitative and quantitative information derived from one-on-one phone interviews, online questionnaires, and the AACSB business school database (DataDirect). The purpose of this study is to examine the value of AACSB Accreditation from two angles.
The first is to measure the value AACSB Accreditation provides an institution’s stakeholders—such as students, graduate employers, and faculty/staff. For instance, several significant companies have reported that they either hire only graduates from AACSB-accredited business programs and/or only reimburse employees for classes attended at AACSB-accredited institutions. Therefore, one of the points of study includes further exploring this scenario. Such as, does not holding AACSB Accreditation deter top companies from recruiting graduates and/or reimbursing student tuitions? And, do companies have better results from employees that are educated at AACSB-accredited schools as compared to institutions that are not AACSB-accredited? This portion of the study also is exploring the outcomes relative to students and faculty/staff.
Secondly, the research aims to determine if the actual accreditation process positively impacts schools in terms of internal operations. For example, does going through the AACSB Accreditation process help institutions to enhance the development of their strategic management plan and the subsequent allocation of resources that support it? And, do AACSB-accredited schools have an advantage in recruiting and retaining high-performing faculty? This portion of the study also is examining outcomes relative to budgeting, fund raising, and partnership formation.
As of October, all phone interviews have been conducted and online questionnaires are closing. Initial findings will be available shortly after. The overarching goal of the study is to improve the process of accreditation and create more concrete messaging to prospective business school students and employers regarding the quality of education received from AACSB-accredited institutions.
Newly Designed AACSB Accreditation Seal
The AACSB Accreditation Seal has been recently redesigned to provide improved readability and clarity. The new seal is available in blue, black, white, and reversed. The seal is solely for use by AACSB-accredited schools. New versions may be downloaded at: www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/seal.asp.
New Accreditation Brochure
A new AACSB Accreditation brochure has been created for a variety of audiences. The brochure explains the AACSB Accreditation process, the Accounting Accreditation process, and provides direction to further resources for schools and students. The brochure is available at: www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/promotion/print.asp.