JACKSON, Tenn. — June 14, 2013 — Union University’s McAfee School of Business Administration has earned accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
AACSB International, founded in 1916, is an association of more than 1,350 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 83 countries and territories. It is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees in business and accounting.
“Achieving the AACSB accreditation places us in the top 5 percent of business schools in the world,” said Keith Absher, dean of the McAfee School of Business Administration. “It is definitely the ‘gold standard’ of business school accreditations.”
Absher said the AACSB accreditation is evidence that Union has achieved excellence in multiple areas, including learning outcomes for students and students’ ability to compete against any business graduate in the country.
“We are so thankful for this positive word of affirmation from the AACSB regarding the full accreditation of the business programs at Union University,” Union President David S. Dockery said. “It is a joy for me to congratulate Dean Keith Absher and all who had a role in navigating this lengthy and challenging process.
“Truly, this is a significant accomplishment for faculty, staff and students alike, which will serve the university well in the years ahead.”
Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation and adjustment that takes several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to meet the AACSB accreditation standards, which require a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement and curricula responsive to the needs of businesses.
Also required by the AACSB standards, all accredited schools must go through a peer review process every five years in order to maintain their accreditation.
“It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn AACSB accreditation, and I commend Union University for its dedication to management education, as well as its leadership in the community,” said Robert D. Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Through accreditation, Union has not only met specific standards of excellence, but has also made a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to its students.
“Dean Absher and the faculty, directors and staff of Union University are to be commended for their role in earning accreditation.”