Business success
Lerner College earns maintenance of accreditation by AACSB
7:58 a.m., April 6, 2011--The Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware is among 68 schools around the world that have successfully maintained their accreditation in business this year, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) announced today.
Additionally, the Department of Accounting and MIS in the Lerner College is among 22 schools that have maintained their accreditation in accounting with AACSB.
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“I am very proud of the college’s accomplishments and our continuing AACSB accreditation validates the excellent work that the faculty and staff do to ensure the success of our students,” said Bobby Gempesaw, dean of the Lerner College. “This maintenance of accreditation is reinforced by the Lerner College’s continued ranking in Businessweek’s review of the nation’s top business schools, placing the college among the top 25 public university business schools in the country.”
Guido Geerts, chair of the Department of Accounting and MIS, also noted “this is a testimony to the excellence of our students, programs and faculty and we are immensely proud of being a member of the elite group of AACSB-accredited accounting programs.”
AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business schools. Today, there are 620 business schools in 38 countries that maintain AACSB accreditation. Similarly, 177 institutions now maintain an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs.
“It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn AACSB accreditation,” said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Schools must not only meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculties and staffs must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to students.”
Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation and adjustment and can take several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a mission-driven plan to meet 21 accreditation standards that address a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement and curricula responsive to the needs of businesses.
Accounting accreditation requires the satisfaction of an additional set of 15 standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.
For a complete list of schools that have earned maintenance of accreditation in business and/or accounting, as ratified by the board of directors of AACSB International, see the organization's website.
About the Lerner College
The Lerner College was first accredited by AACSB at the baccalaureate level in 1966. In 1982, the Lerner College received graduate accreditation, with the addition of accounting accreditation in 1984. The Lerner College’s business and accounting programs, at both the masters and bachelors levels, were last reaccredited in 2001. The maintenance of review process is now on a five-year cycle, and the next AACSB review is scheduled for the 2015-16 school year.
About AACSB International
Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. AACSB is an association of more than 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 78 countries and territories. AACSB’s mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services.
Article by Kathryn A. Marrone