October/November 2010
Management Education News from AACSB International
Quality Assurance Strategies for the Future
by Andrew Policano
Chair, AACSB International Board of Directors
Dean, Paul Merage School of Business
University of California, Irvine
Ten years ago, when I chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee, the major forces impacting business schools were globalization, faculty shortages, and assurance of learning. With the committee’s direction, the AACSB Accreditation Standards were modified to make them more globally relevant, to recognize the increasing use of non-research oriented faculty members, and to require program learning objectives and assessment of how well the environment accomplished those goals. Today, once again, it is time for another review and modification of the AACSB Accreditation Standards, as some of the same issues continue to exist and need to be addressed once again. But, many additional changes also have occurred that need to be considered for inclusion in the standards. Some of the critical areas include the implications of the financial crisis, the growing importance of innovation and sustainability, and the use of technology to generate alternative modes of delivery. I have recently appointed the co-chairs of the new Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) and I am delighted to announce that Thierry Grange (dean, Grenoble Ecole de Management and AACSB International board member) and Richard Sorensen (dean, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, prior chair of the board for AACSB International) will co-chair the committee. While the activities of the committee proceed, AACSB International will be soliciting input from members at its conferences and seminars, as well as electronically.
As the BRC gets underway, AACSB International has been actively seeking the feedback of its members to the recommendations of the Special Committee on Global Accreditation Strategy (SCOGAS). SCOGAS has carefully analyzed the implications for quality business education associated with the exponential growth of business programs globally. This growth, without an external assurance of quality, poses the risk of a decline in confidence in business education. Of the approximately 12,600 institutions granting business degrees worldwide, only about 10% are accredited by an organization that operates on an international scale, and only a little more than 5% hold AACSB, EQUIS, and/or AMBA Accreditation. The SCOGAS recommendation, which accords with AACSB International’s mission and has been approved by the AACSB Board of Directors, is to develop a second quality assurance product—totally distinct from accreditation—to advance quality management education worldwide. This product would provide a certification of quality for multiple programs in a business school format; its main purpose would be to serve the needs of schools that are not designed to meet AACSB Accreditation’s academic faculty and intellectual contributions standards. AACSB International and its corresponding committees anticipate starting the product with ten pilot schools. If successful, the number of schools that would be certified by the product over the next decade would be approximately 300. Throughout the last several months, Jerry Trapnell (executive vice president and chief accreditation officer, AACSB International), John Fernandes (president and CEO, AACSB International), Mark Rice (Frederic C. Hamilton professor for free enterprise, Babson College) and I, along with other members of the AACSB Board of Directors have been presenting the recommendations and soliciting feedback from AACSB members. The AACSB staff will be analyzing these inputs along with an outside consultant to formalize the final recommendation concerning both the proposed certification product and the appropriate organizational structure.
In closing, I would like to thank the entire staff of AACSB International, who truly excels in the many activities, services, and products they provide for management education. I also want to recognize and thank the many business school administrators who volunteer and participate in the AACSB Accreditation peer review process, serve on committees, and present at AACSB conferences and seminars. Finally, I am honored to be the chair of the board for AACSB International during such a critical period in its history. The work that is currently being formalized as result of SCOGAS’s recommendations, as well as the initiatives that are about to commence with the new BRC, are likely to dramatically change the face of AACSB International for many years to come as it continues to be the world leader in advancing management education.