BOWLING GREEN, O. — AACSB-International, the Association to Advance College Schools of Business, has reaffirmed accreditation of undergraduate and master’s degree programs offered by the Bowling Green State University College of Business Administration.

The college, which has been accredited by the AACSB since 1954, is among fewer than 400 business schools in the United States to be accredited on both the undergraduate and graduate levels by the organization.

In a letter to the University, the AACSB commended Bowling Green’s business college for several strengths and effective practices, including its partnerships with alumni and executives, efforts to attract international students that contribute to the diversity of full-time MBA and master of accountancy students, and active and supportive student organizations. “

Fewer than a quarter of the business programs in the country are accredited by AACSB on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our business college has been accredited for the past half-century, and so we are celebrating our 50th anniversary as an AACSB business school,” said Dr. Robert O. Edmister, dean of the College of Business Administration. “

We’re also gratified that the AACSB recognized the importance of the outstanding relationships we’ve developed with so many of our alumni, our successful international graduate program recruiting efforts, and the substantive quality of our student organizations,” he continued. “With our new initiatives in entrepreneurship, employed student degree completion, and executive education, we are preparing the next generation to develop the economic potential of northwest Ohio.”

The process of peer review for accreditation is intended to stimulate further continuous improvement in quality, and accreditation represents meeting the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. According to the AACSB, accreditation assures that business schools manage resources to achieve a relevant mission, advance knowledge through faculty scholarship, provide high-caliber teaching of current, quality curricula, cultivate meaningful interaction between faculty and students, and produce graduates who achieve specified learning goals.

Approximately 2,200 undergraduates are enrolled in Bowling Green’s College of Business Administration, which offers a bachelor of science degree in economics and 16 specializations leading to a bachelor of science in business administration. Undergraduates also may take part in the Business Honors Program; international, co-op and internship opportunities, and any of six minor degree programs, including a new entrepreneurship minor.

The college also supports more than 20 student organizations which enable undergraduates to learn about careers and build their skills for success, meet alumni and business professionals, practice teamwork and leadership, and become involved in the community through service projects. The groups range from campus chapters of national honor societies, such as the accounting honor society Beta Alpha Psi, to the Hospitality Management Society, APICS, the American Marketing Association and the Sales & Marketing Club.

On the graduate level, students in the MBA program have the options of enrolling full time, enrolling in the evening MBA program or enrolling in the 18-month Executive MBA Program, which is geared to enabling those employed full time to complete an EMBA and continue to work. The college also offers a full-time Master’s of Organizational Development and an 18-month Executive MOD program.

(Posted January 09, 2004)