Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58912
Growth and Consequences As AACSB International continues its global expansion, the organization keeps its focus on accreditation while increasing its emphasis on thought leadership by Arthur Kraft L ike any thriving multinational organization, AACSB International has undergone considerable change in recent years. Although we have reached a period of relative stability, we are continuing to grow, and growth always brings fresh challenges. As the 2006–2007 chair of the board of directors, I see five key areas of focus in the upcoming year: continuing our concentration on ac- creditation, expanding our global reach, developing our thought leadership, putting added emphasis on learning outcomes, and meeting the needs of our members. As chair, I hope to give special attention to the first three areas. Our Primary Focus Not only is accreditation our core product, it represents the fundamental contribution we make to the excellence and advancement of management education. AACSB continues to pursue the lofty goal of recruiting the best business schools in the world—the top 10 percent—through targeted devel- opment efforts. In the past five years, we've seen a 16 percent increase in accreditation for schools in the U.S., and a spectacular 300 percent increase in accreditation of schools outside the U.S. As of May 2006, AACSB has accredited 527 institu- tions in 30 countries, including 442 in the United States and 85 from outside the U.S. In addition, 169 schools—five from outside the U.S.—have received accounting accreditation. This growth in the number of accredited schools places an added respon- sibility on AACSB members. We are fast approaching the time when we will require more than 100 teams to conduct maintenance of accreditation visits, which occur every five years. Since we need a minimum of two members on each peer review team, I foresee a point when the required number of volun- teers could exceed 50 percent of the deans at accredited schools. It's no secret that the time commitment is substantial, especially when other factors are considered: initial visits, accounting accreditation reviews, pre-accreditation mentor assignments, and sixth-year reviews. Keep in mind that many deans also take on other duties, such as participating on task forces and volunteering for committee assignments. We are grateful to the deans who have volunteered so much of their time already. I know that some members may hesitate to volunteer because they're not certain they know how to serve on a peer review team. It is a learn- ing process, but help is available. Online peer review training is of- 42 BizEd SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006