The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has announced that the Arkansas Tech University College of Business has extended its AACSB International accreditation.
AACSB first accredited the degree programs in business at Arkansas Tech in 2000. The most recent AACSB review has yielded reaffirmation of that accreditation for the Arkansas Tech College of Business until the next scheduled review during the 2024-25 academic year.
“AACSB is known throughout higher education for the high standards it applies to accreditation,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, ATU president. “This is indeed a reason for celebration. I offer my sincere appreciation to the faculty and staff in the Arkansas Tech University College of Business for their efforts in the accreditation process and for the high-quality educational experiences they provide to ATU students.”
According to its website, AACSB accreditation contributes to the quality of business education by “defining a set of guiding principles and standards, coordinating peer review and consultation and recognizing high-quality business schools that meet the standards and actively engage in the process.”
The Arkansas Tech College of Business offers Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degrees in accounting, business data analytics, finance, management and marketing. The ATU College of Business also offers a Bachelor of Science degree in business education and a Master of Business Administration degree.
“I commend the ATU College of Business faculty for their diligence in ensuring compliance with AACSB standards and requirements,” said Dr. Barbara Johnson, ATU vice president for academic affairs. “AACSB accreditation is a mark of distinction for our business programs and an assurance for our students that they are enrolled in meaningful and relevant preparation for their careers.”
Under standards adopted by the AACSB Accreditation Council and applied to the most recent review of the ATU College of Business, schools seeking to achieve or extend accreditation through AACSB are critiqued based upon the engagement, innovation and impact of their business programs.
Dr. Russ Jones, who became dean of the ATU College of Business in July 2020, said that only five percent of colleges of business in the United States hold AACSB accreditation.
“The extension of our AACSB accreditation is both an honor and a privilege for the ATU College of Business,” said Jones. “AACSB is the highest standard for business colleges in the world today. I would like to offer my thanks to each and every one of our faculty and staff members in the college. They are the reason we succeeded. While this is great news, we will continue to focus on the notion that continuous improvement is the aim of AACSB. Therefore, I look forward to working with our faculty and staff in the coming years to assure reaffirmation of accreditation is a recurring achievement for the ATU College of Business.”
Learn more about the ATU College of Business at www.atu.edu/business.
