The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International Board of Directors has approved extension of accreditation of graduate and undergraduate programs in business and accounting for the Illinois State University College of Business for the next five years (2017-2022).

AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than five percent of the world’s business schools. Today, there are 780 business schools in 53 countries and territories that have earned AACSB accreditation. Further, 185 institutions hold additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs.

“We are in the elite 1.85 percent of accredited business and accounting schools worldwide,” said Ajay Samant, dean of the College of Business. “We can proudly say that we have attained and maintained the accreditation gold standard.”

Achieving accreditation is a rigorous process. The standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.

Samant noted that this was a team effort by the faculty and staff in the College of Business to attain the accreditation. “We have a lot to be proud of in the college. Our enrollment is strong, we continue to receive national recognition and accolades, and, most important, our student job placement rates are robust,” said Samant. “We also have a lot to look forward to, as we continue to provide and improve on paths for transformational learning opportunities for our students, both in the classroom and outside it.”