CONTACT: Melanie Yeager, (850) 644-8438, <mgyeager@fsu.edu>

April 16, 2008

FSU’S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS MAINTAINS BUSINESS, ACCOUNTING ACCREDITATIONS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State University’s College of Business has received continued accreditation -- the highest mark of a business school’s educational quality -- by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).

The accrediting agency recently announced extensions for FSU’s accounting and all other business programs had been ratified by its Board of Governors. Less than 7 percent of the world’s business schools have achieved this honor.

“This significant milestone demonstrates that our school is continuing to provide innovative education that meets the highest global standards,’’ said Dean Caryn L. Beck-Dudley. “This achievement is a testament to the persistent, excellent work of our faculty and staff.”

Accredited business schools face a peer review every five years that determines whether they maintain their status. It’s an arduous process that involves data collection, summaries of strategies used, evaluation of progress and adjustment.

“These schools have met rigorous standards of excellence, as well as made a commitment to ongoing improvement that ensures that they will deliver high-quality education to students,” said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and AACSB International’s chief accreditation officer, in a news release about all recently accredited schools.

According to AACSB, demands on accounting and management education mirror the demands on organizations and managers, including:

• Strong and growing global economic forces;
• Differences in organizational and cultural values;
• Cultural diversity among employees and customers;
• Changing technology in products and processes.

“Just as managers face rising expectations for their performance and the performance of their organizations, programs in management education also should anticipate rising expectations, even within a given mission,” states AACSB’s procedures and standards document. “No fixed curriculum, specific set of faculty credentials, single type of faculty performance or approach to instruction will suffice over time.”

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