DePaul University’s business college and accountancy school have each earned 5-year renewals of their accreditation from AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. (DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)CHICAGO — DePaul University’s business college and accountancy school have each earned 5-year renewals of their accreditation from AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
The accreditation is granted to programs that maintain the highest standards of quality in teaching, research and student achievement. It is a distinction held by only 5 percent of business schools worldwide.
“AACSB accreditation is a hallmark of excellence,” said Ray Whittington, dean of the Driehaus College of Business and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul. “It indicates to students that we provide an engaging, high quality business education and tells employers that we produce graduates who possess the knowledge and skills to succeed.”
AACSB standards emphasize three pillars of excellence — innovation, impact and engagement, explains John Ahern, interim director of the School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems. “Accreditation ensures that students are learning material most relevant to their field of study, preparing them to be effective leaders upon graduation.”
AACSB-accredited business schools are reassessed every five years. In the fall, DePaul’s business and accountancy program leaders submitted comprehensive applications for re-accreditation. The documentation included how the programs are meeting AACSB’s standards for curricula management and assurance of learning; teaching effectiveness; student academic and professional engagement; mission fulfillment and nearly a dozen other requirements.
Following the application, an AACSB peer assessment team conducted a rigorous on-campus review of the programs, which culminated in their recommendation that accreditation be extended for the business college and accountancy school. Two AACSB committees approved the recommendation and the AACSB board of directors ratified it this month.
“It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation,” said Robert D. Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Business schools must not only meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty and professional staff must make a commitment to ongoing continuous improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver the highest quality of education to students.”
According to the AACSB, there are 755 business schools in 51 countries and territories that have earned AACSB accreditation. Similarly, 182 institutions hold an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. Additional information is at
http://www.aacsb.edu/.
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