April 23, 2004

Columbus State University's D. Abbott Turner College of Business has achieved accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business , a designation that puts CSU into the most elite grouping of business colleges in the country.

Official action by the AACSB International Board of Directors came April in Montreal.

Only about 27 percent of all business schools in the country have attained this high certification, said CSU President Frank Brown. We expect this recognition to bring both distinction and benefits to the community, to the university, to the college of Business and to the students who study with us.

To achieve this level of accreditation over and above the accreditation already given to the university, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students in the educational process, and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.These standards are mission-linked. During the accreditation process, CSU was visited and evaluated by business school deans with detailed knowledge of management education, applying accreditation standards that are widely accepted in the educational community.

Through the lengthy and sometimes arduous accreditation process, we came to realize the central role of quality in everything we do, said Linda Hadley, dean of the business college. We also realized that accrediting agencies such as AACSB can recognize, but cannot confer, quality. We had to achieve that ourselves, and in one of the best team efforts I've ever experienced. The good work of everyone involved - students, faculty, the administration, and the community - came to fruition at just the right time and in just the right measure. Now, with AACSB accreditation accomplished, we can focus on the continuing work of the D. Abbott Turner College of Business.

The accreditation process involved support and resources from the entire university community, said Martha Saunders, CSU vice president for academic affairs.

Professional accreditations provide tangible indicators of the level of quality an institution has achieved - especially when the accreditation is as rigorous and prestigious as that bestowed by the AACSB, Saunders said. I have enjoyed working with Dean Hadley and her talented faculty in identifying opportunities for faculty development, student recruitment and development, and innovative programming throughout the process. In reality, the distinction will add luster to all our academic programs and was made possible, to a great extent, by the institution's commitment to providing a first-rate education for every student.

AACSB International is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations. Its board of directors has conferred accreditation on 480 business schools. Its mission is excellence in management education in colleges and universities. Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools. For more information on AACSB go to www.aacsb.edu

The D. Abbott Turner College of Business joins several other entities at CSU that have achieved national recognition and accreditation in their fields: the College of Education, Schwob School of Music and the departments of art and theatre.

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For more information, contact Dean Linda Hadley at 706-568-2044 or by e-mail at hadley_linda@ColumbusState.edu.