AACSB Accreditation Consultant Prof. George Benwell Visits Business School
From February 23rd to 24th, Prof. George Benwell, Dean of the School of Business and Vice President in Otago University in New Zealand, an advisor authorized and appointed by AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International), visited Business School and gave instructions on international accreditation.
Prof. George Benwell talking with school leaders
On the morning of Feb. 23rd, Prof. Benwell had a symposium with Business School leaders such as Dean Li Xinchun, Vice Dean Fu Zhengping, Vice Dean Xu Yong, Vice Dean Wang Fan, Vice Dean Lan Yu, Vice-Secretary Dai Honghui of BS CPC Committee and staff members in the International Accreditation and Qualify Improvement Office and got the general information of Business School. Then Prof. Benwell met with department heads?and project leaders and got to know the current development and future programs in detail.
During the feedback meeting held on the morning of Feb. 24th, Prof. Benwell pointed out some deficits in the work for international accreditation and?gave more than 20 pieces of advice? for improvement, which have been highly appreciated by the school leaders.
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About AACSB
AACSB provides internationally recognized, specialized accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level. The AACSB Accreditation Standards challenge post-secondary educators to pursue excellence and continuous improvement throughout their business programs. AACSB Accreditation is known, worldwide, as the longest standing, most recognized form of specialized/professional accreditation an institution and its business programs can earn.
If a business school wants AACSB accreditation, the school must firstly become a member of AACSB International and offer degree-granting programs in business or management. Next, the school may apply for AACSB accreditation. The school’s application is carefully reviewed to ensure it is eligible to pursue AACSB Accreditation. Once it is determined that the school has the potential to be accredited, it works with mentors, committees, and AACSB staff to develop a Standards Alignment Plan. Once the school follows through with its alignment plan and meets the AACSB standards, review committees and the AACSB Board of Directors decide whether or not the school should be accredited. In its entirety, the AACSB accreditation process is rigorous and requires a significant amount of work to achieve.
In Mainland China, only three schools have passed through AACSB accreditation, namely, School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and School of Management of Fudan University.