School prepares for review

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. The certification is the hallmark of excellence in management education.

Concordia’s Faculty of Commerce and Administration, now known as the John Molson School of Business, was first accredited by the AACSB in 1997, making it the first business school in Montreal and only the fourth in Canada to receive the prestigious endorsement.

The St. Louis-based association is the oldest accrediting body in the field of business education. Founded in 1916, the AACSB developed its first set of standards for the teaching of business administration in 1919. Schools considered for accreditation undergo strenuous examination, involving separate intensive evaluations of each degree program to ensure they meet the quality standards of the AACSB. The goal of accreditation is to ensure that programs have the curriculum, staff, resources and mechanisms for continuous improvement, which is necessary in order to provide excellent business education in a constantly evolving environment.

Once institutions earn accreditation, they must demonstrate a commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review every five years.

As part of the maintenance of accreditation process, an AACSB peer review team will visit JMSB on Monday, January 30. JMSB’s Director of AACSB Accreditation, Reena Atanasiadis, and her team have been busy preparing to receive the delegation, which will include the deans of the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, the College of Business and Public Administration at California State University, and the State University of New York School of Management at Binghampton University.

“The AACSB accreditation is extremely important to JMSB,” says Atanasiadis. “It tells the world we’ve made the effort to reach the goals that demonstrate what a terrific institution we are a part of.”

During their two-day visit, the review team will meet with nearly 100 JMSB stakeholders, including staff, faculty, students and alumni.

“I look forward to welcoming my AACSB colleagues,” said JMSB’s Interim Dean Alan Hochstein. “So much has changed at JMSB since our last review and I am very proud of how far our school, our faculty and our students have come in the last five years. I think the visiting deans will be impressed by a great many things, particularly our amazing new facilities and the incredible enthusiasm of our students and professors.”

Related links:
•    John Molson School of Business
•    The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business