AACSB International (AACSB) and Korea Association for Business Education Accreditation (KABEA) Agree on Joint Site Visit Agreement

On August 23rd, 2023, the signing ceremony of the Joint Site Visit Agreement between AACSB International (AACSB) and the Korean Association of Business Education Accreditation (KABEA) was held online.

Stephanie Byant, AACSB Executive Vice President, Chief Accreditation Officer; Geoff Perry, Executive Vice President, Chief Membership Officer, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific; Guodong Xu, AACSB Regional Head, East Asia; Liyan Chen, AACSB Senior Manager of Accreditation and Membership Services; Sang-Hoon Lim, KABEA President; Joongwha Kim, KABEA Vice President; and Bo-young Kim, KABEA Chief Officer for International Affairs, attended the event and witnessed the important moment of cooperation between the two business education accreditation organizations. The event was hosted by Guodong Xu, Stephanie Byant, Geoff Perry. Sang-Hoon Lim signed the agreement, and representatives from both parties delivered speeches expressing their gratitude, congratulations, and expectations.

The purpose of the joint visit is to leverage the synergies between AACSB and KABEA accreditation standards, to reduce the administrative burden on the visited institutions, and to facilitate the localization of international standards and the internationalization of local standards. Dr. Stephanie Byant said, " I am thrilled that our joint agreement is bearing fruit and that we are able to already take such an important step as agreeing to have joint accreditation visits for schools with both AACSB and KABEA accreditation. As we have already formulated a number of these types of joint agreements around the world, we have seen how much our schools value the ability to have two accreditations accomplished at once."

AACSB and KABEA have maintained close cooperation in recent years. The two sides signed a Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation in 2021, which covers the scope of cooperation on joint visits; the joint site visit agreement signed this time is an annex to the Memorandum of Understanding, which details the relevant procedures and requirements, paving the way for the implementation of cooperation. Mr. Sang-Hoon Lim is honored to deepen the cooperation with AACSB and looks forward to a successful re-accreditation visit to Yonsei University, the first institution to receive a joint visit.

AACSB has worked with KABEA for three years during the KASBA Annual Conference. For the third consecutive year, AACSB has organized accreditation joint workshops with KABEA during the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration (KASBA) Annual Conference to discuss the value of accreditation, standards mapping, and the social impact of business education. This has attracted a large number of Korean business educators and deans, further expanding the influence of AACSB in the sector of business education in Korea.

“AACSB is pleased to partner with KABEA in the first joint visiting agreement between AACSB and an accrediting organization in the Asia-Pacific region. We hope that this opportunity will serve as a "model" for working with other national and regional higher education accrediting organizations to achieve our vision of promoting quality business education globally," said Geoff Perry at the end of the ceremony.

About the AACSB International (AACSB)

Established in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the world’s largest business education alliance, connecting educators, learners, and business to create the next generation of great leaders. With a presence in more than 100 countries and territories, AACSB fosters engagement, accelerates innovation, and amplifies impact in business education. Learn how AACSB is transforming business education for a better society at aacsb.edu.

About Korean Association of Business Education Accreditation (KABEA)

Founded in 2005, KABEA is the only business education accreditation organization in Korea dedicated to providing quality accreditation and development advice for business education programs, with the hope that through accreditation, educational innovation, and school-industrial cooperation, it will contribute to upgrading the level of business education in Korea and the development of business human resources demanded by the nation and industry. Visit kabea.or.kr for more KABEA details.