AACSB Accreditation Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

1. AACSB AccreditationAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The accreditation process, timelines and definitions by Toni M Thomas AACSB International Maintenance of Accreditation seminar, June 2009

2. Philosophy of Accreditation • The purposes of accreditation are to : • Inform schools and their stakeholders about educational quality through: • Internationally developed standards • International community of schools that have achieved accreditation • Assist schools to achieve and improve quality in their educational programs through: • Self-evaluation • Peer review

3. Philosophy of Accreditation • Accreditation satisfies a moral dimension of business education through strategic management standards • Effective use of resources to achieve the mission • Management of resources toward quality improvement • Accreditation assures the educational dimension of business education through Participants standards: • Informs the appropriate actions and interactions of faculty, students, administrators and staff • Use of sufficient, qualified, and engaged faculty resources • Active student involvement in learning process

4. Fisher MBA Accreditation History • 1994-began pursuit of accreditation with self-assessment and definition of mission, vision and values • 1994-1995-pre-candidacy year • 1995-1996-candidacy stage • Fall 2000-first AACSB site visit • 2000-2002-deferral period based on six areas of concern • January 2002-deferral report submitted • April 2002-Accreditation granted, following visit

5. Fisher MBA History (con’t) • February 2004-Progress report submitted • April 2004-Progress report accepted • February 2007-Interim (5 yr) Maintenance Report submitted • April 2007-Maintenance Report Accepted • July 2009-Application for Maintenance Visit to be submitted • 2011-2010-Maintenance (10 yr) Report & Visit

6. Roles & Responsibilities • Yuwei Shi, Dean-overall guidance of accreditation issues, assigning of various roles, voting on behalf of Fisher MBA at AACSB annual conference • Bruce Paton, MBA Program Chair-coordinates mission, vision and curriculum issues with MBA faculty. Manages AoL process. Collaborate with Dean and Assistant Dean on various projects • Toni Thomas, Assistant Dean-coordinates with Dean and Program Chair on various reports and activities. Oversees and submits BSQ. Assists with AoL data collection and analysis. Drafts reports for review by Dean • Ernest Scalberg, Professor-Designs AoL program in collaboration with Dean, Program Chair, Assistant Dean and Faculty. Consults on reports and process.

7. Maintenance Report • Maintenance of Accreditation review focuses on key information demonstrating continuous improvement and the school’s strategic management • It is not a standard-by-standard audit • Assumes accredibility

8. Maintenance Process • Review/refine/implement Strategic Plan • Prepare Annual Maintenance Reports • Complete Business School Questionnaire (BSQ)

9. Year 3 • Submit to Maintenance of Accreditation Committee (MAC) by July 1: • Cover Letter • Maintenance Review Application: include discussion of Ethical Behavior and Diversity • List of comparison groups • Comparable Peer, Aspirant, Competitive • Other materials (catalogs, website info, etc)

10. Year 3-4 • Application materials received by Accreditation Coordinating Committee (ACC) • ACC reviews & approves accreditation eligibility • Reviews & approves accreditation scope • Initiates selection of Peer Review Team (PRT) approx. 18 months prior to visit date • Sets Visit Date

11. Year 5 - Visit • Host Dean works with PRT Chair to prepare a 1.5 day visit schedule: • Strategic management process • Goals, visions, resources, and accomplishments • Faculty management and development • Assurance of learning • Currency and relevancy of programs

12. 5 Year Report • Situation Analysis • Mission Statement • Strategic Management Planning Process • Assessment Tools and Procedures • Financial Strategies • New Degree Programs • Tables of: Intellectual Contributions, Peer Reviewed Journals, Faculty Sufficiency, Qualifications & Deployment

13. Maintenance Review Outcomes • PRT recommends extension for six years with review in fifth year • Sixth Year Review (Continuing review) • About 20% of schools are placed into a 6th year review status, typically due to faculty issues

14. Assessment and Assurance of Learning (AoL) • School must have a defined systematic way to collect, review and use information on their programs and curriculum • Define learning goals and objectives • Align curriculum with goals • Identify instruments and measures and collect, analyze and disseminate data • Use data for continuous improvement

15. AoL • Curriculum function not a course function • Assess student learning across the curriculum not in individual courses • Measures student learning, not faculty teaching • Should lead to program improvements as needed

16. Faculty Standards • Faculty Qualifications: academically qualified, professionally qualified • Faculty Sufficiency: deployment of resources; participating or supporting • Intellectual Contributions: engaged in high quality research consistent with mission. Should represent “a substantial cross-section of faculty in each discipline” • Portfolios must include significant portion of peer reviewed journal articles and scholarship

17. Questions?