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WIU is one of only 174 universities worldwide to achieve dual accreditation in both business and accountancy by AACSB International -- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Photo courtesy of the Visual Production Center. L to R: Western Illinois University College of Business and Technology Dean Tom Erekson, Provost Jack Thomas, CBT Associate Dean Jack Elfrink and Department of Accountancy Chair Hassan Espahbodi.
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CBT, Accountancy Dept. Maintain AACSB Accreditation

April 27, 2010

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MACOMB, IL -- Western Illinois University's College of Business and Technology and the accountancy department have maintained their accreditation by AACSB International -- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in business and accounting; CBT and the accountancy department were officially recognized for the achievement at the AACSB International Conference and Annual Meeting April 18 in Anaheim (CA).

According to the AACSB website, only 593 schools of business -- or less than five percent worldwide -- have earned this distinguished hallmark of excellence in management education. To maintain accreditation, a business program must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the program must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

Western is one of only 174 universities worldwide to achieve dual accreditation in both business and accountancy, noted Jack Elfrink, associate dean in CBT and the College's accreditation officer.

"It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation," said Jerry Trapnell, chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students," he added.

"I am extremely proud of the efforts of all of our faculty and staff," CBT Dean Tom Erekson said. "The process for reaffirmation of accreditation was a major initiative that involved everyone in the College. This major accomplishment is to the credit of the contributions of time and talent among our faculty and staff over the last five years."

Hassan Espahbodi, chair of WIU's accountancy department, noted the faculty and staff in the department pride themselves on being a part of such a distinguished group of AACSB accredited programs.

"This accomplishment of dual accreditation in business and accountancy is incredibly rare among business schools today," Espahbodi added.

The AACSB team report noted that faculty and staff in WIU's accountancy department "[are] to be commended on strong support for student organizations, including release time and travel support for faculty [advisers]."

WIU's College of Business and Technology was established approximately 40 years ago and offers courses on the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses. To learn more about WIU's CBT, visit www.wiu.edu/cbt. For more information about WIU's accountancy department, www.wiu.edu/accountancy/.

For more information, contact Elfrink at (309) 298-2442 or JA-Elfrink@wiu.edu.

To learn more about AACSB International accreditation, visit the accreditation section of the AACSB International website at www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/.

About AACSB International
AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is a membership association of almost 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 74 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership. AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools -- less than 5% worldwide have earned the achievement. As the premier membership and accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa (FL) and its Asia headquarters is located in Singapore. For more information, visit www.aacsb.edu.

Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing