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Headlines AACSB Studies Accreditation Quality AACSB International has formed a new Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality to evaluate the state of readiness of AACSB's accreditation standards and pro- cesses to ensure that management education aligns with global busi- ness practice. The committee also will set expectations for the level of quality and continuous improve- ment that business schools must demonstrate in the future. The committee will perform a EMBA Programs Hold Steady Executive MBA programs saw a modest increase in inquiries and applications in 2010, according to the 2010 Membership Program Survey conducted by the Execu- tive MBA Council headquartered in Orange, California. On average, programs received 533 inquiries, up from 519 in 2009, and the number of applications per program was 93.3, up from 92.6 the year before. The survey, which gathered information from more than 300 schools, indicated that the typical applicant profile remains fairly con- sistent. In 2010, EMBA students had an average of 8.4 years of man- agement experience, 13.3 years of work experience, and GPAs of 3.18. In 2006, those numbers were 8.3, 12.8, and 3.16, respectively. But more students are older, and fewer are women. In 2006, the average age was 36.5 years; today, it's 37.1. And four years ago, 28 percent of 10 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 the EMBA students were women, compared to 26 percent today. The program structure has not changed greatly during this time, remaining at an average of 20 months long. The average class size is 45 students, compared to 42 four years ago. Sixty-four percent of programs require an international trip, most often to China, Brazil, or India. More programs—9.4 per- cent, compared to 6.3 percent in 2006—focus on a particular indus- try or profession, with the most common being healthcare. Costs are going up, too. The average program tuition in 2010 was $65,655, a 4.5 percent increase from 2009. Thirty-five percent of students pay their own tuition, 36 percent receive partial reimburse- ment from their companies, and 30 percent receive full reimbursement. Those numbers haven't changed greatly, although there are slight increases in the number of students wholly or partially funding their own EMBA degrees. comprehensive review of AACSB's accreditation standards, eligibility criteria, and accreditation process. Members of the committee rep- resent a cross-section of AACSB members, including representatives from accredited schools, schools in the accreditation process, and non- education institutional members. The committee is co-chaired by Thierry Grange, dean and director general of Grenoble Ecole de Management in France, and Richard E. Sorensen, dean of the Pamplin College of Busi- ness at Virginia Tech in the U.S. "As AACSB works to address the rising global demand for accred- itation, it is important for us to