Anne-Marie Croteau: ‘We have a drive to continuously improve’
When Anne-Marie Croteau was appointed as the first female dean of the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) on June 1, she had already been thinking about her vision for the faculty for a long time.
“The single most important thing is the quality of the education we provide our students,” she says.
One priority is to ensure that JMSB adequately prepares them for success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a concept related to advancements in technology, artificial intelligence and the world’s hyper-connectivity.
“If we’re going to offer the skills that are most needed in the market, then we have to make sure our curriculum is forward-looking and that we hire well-rounded academics — top researchers in their fields who are also excellent teachers.”
Next step: triple-crown accreditation
To that end, the new dean says she will be taking measures to increase JMSB’s visibility and enhance its reputation internationally. One way in which she intends to do that is through additional accreditations.
Concordia’s business school, the third largest in Canada, is currently accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. The goal of accreditation is to guarantee that programs have the curriculum, staff, resources and mechanisms for the continuous improvement necessary to provide an excellent business education. In March, AACSB announced that JMSB’s status will be maintained for another five years.
According to Croteau, JMSB will soon begin the process of applying for accreditation by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
Schools who hold all three accreditations are said to be “triple crown–accredited.” Only 76 institutions in the world hold the distinction, and Croteau says there’s no reason why JMSB shouldn’t be among them.
“We have excellent programs, a wealth of talent and the drive to continuously improve.”
A rich case competition history
Another way the dean sees her faculty extending its international reach is through the publication of business case studies that have been written for the many JMSB-organized case competitions.
“We host some of the most prestigious events on the circuit. The John Molson MBA International Case Competition is the oldest and biggest of its kind and the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition is generally regarded as one of the best in its category,” Croteau says.
“We’ve created a vast library of cases over the years and we have an opportunity to share it with the rest of the business school community.”
Croteau points out that two thirds of JMSB’s executive team are new to their roles, though some have been colleagues for years. She’s excited to start working with the new team this academic year, and to see what other new ideas they bring to the table.
“It will be thanks to their efforts and enthusiasm that we continue to improve our offering and grow smartly.”
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