The IUPUC Division of Business is approaching a critical milestone in its growth: the opportunity for professional accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
This past winter, AACSB International, the largest professional accrediting agency for business programs in international higher education, approved the division’s eligibility application.
“This has been the key goal of the division, and of the campus, too, since we first started offering four year degrees in 2001,” explained Georgia B. Miller, Ph.D., Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and former head of the Division of Business at IUPUC. “It has taken a while to put all the pieces in place. But with our current team of full-time faculty, and with strong support from IUPUC administration, it’s time for us to step forward.”
The eligibility application approval starts an extended process of program review and evaluation. If successful, this process culminates in an on-campus evaluation by AACSB representatives and the granting of professional accreditation.
“We keep calling this a huge step,” Miller said, “because it commits us to a great deal of work and thought over the next several years. That is in addition to continuing to deliver excellent business education.”
"It is a great commitment of time and resources, said Marwan Wafa, Ph.D., and IUPUC Vice Chancellor and Dean. His previous work as a business dean also included the accreditation process with AACSB.
“It is truly the premier accrediting body,” Wafa said. “When you complete this process, your classes improve, your programs improve, and all the benefits of that go to the students choosing business degrees from IUPUC.”
Thomas Clerkin, Ph.D., and assistant professor of management, added that the eligibility approval should come as welcome news to Columbus regional leaders and supporters.
“Many in the region will recall that AACSB recognition was part of the vision of all those who helped bring the bachelor of science in business and MBA degrees to Columbus,” Clerkin said. “I’m thrilled that we’re able to take this step – both for us as a business program and for the community as a whole.”
During the next two years, division faculty and staff will complete an accreditation plan, guided in part by a mentor from a peer institution. That plan will include evaluation of student learning outcomes, adjustments to courses and programs based on these evaluations, and continued faculty development in teaching, research, and civic engagement.
For division faculty and staff, much of this is hardly new. An MBA curriculum review has been ongoing for the past 12 months. This included gathering feedback from IU MBA Columbus alumni and regional business managers. It also included a study of peer and competitive institutions and a critical look at existing components of the curriculum.
The review was supervised by the Business Advisory Council, a group of regional business leaders who meet throughout the year to advise the division head and faculty.
The Division of Business at IUPUC offers Bachelor of Science degrees with concentrations in accounting, computer information systems, human resource management, finance, management, and marketing, and the Master of Business Administration, serving over 300 students each academic year.