Great Experience. Great Participants. Great ACBSP!

“Great Experience. Great Participants. Great ACBSP!” That’s how Dr. Rajesh Khajuria, from C. K. Shah Vijapurwala Institute of Management in India, described ACBSP Conference 2017, held June 24-27 in sunny Southern California. More than 700 business faculty, deans, chairs, and presidents from associate degree and baccalaureate/graduate degree institutions representing 30 countries attended the four-day event, packed with insights from CHEA President Dr. Judith Eaton and more than 70 session presenters sharing trends and best practices in business higher education.

Dr. Eaton opened her keynote speech, titled: Examining the Accreditation Space: Accreditation and Its Constituents, by saying: “ACBSP is one of the most recognized programmatic accreditors in the world. I travel all over the world and I see ACBSP everywhere.”

“ACBSP is one of the most recognized
programmatic accreditors in the world.
I travel all over the world and I see
ACBSP everywhere.”

Dr. Steven Parscale, ACBSP Chief Accreditation Officer, refers to Dr. Eaton as the “tip of the spear” for global academic quality. All attention was on Dr. Eaton, as she outlined “the new normal” for accreditation. Learn more about what this “new normal” means and how it effects you, and ACBSP, in the Fall issue of Impact.

ACBSP Appoints its First Female Board Chair Affiliated with a School from Outside the U.S.

Mary Vaughan, Dean, Seneca Business at Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technologies in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was appointed Chair of the ACBSP Board of Directors during the Annual Business Meeting on June 26, becoming the first female from an international member campus in ACBSP history to hold this position.

“It is an exciting time for ACBSP,” said Jeffrey Alderman, ACBSP President/CEO. “We see evidence of ACBSP’s global influence with both Canada and Colombia represented in Board appointments for 2017-18. I only expect this trend to grow,” he said. In addition to Mary Vaughan’s appointment as Chair, Alejandro Cheyne, Dean, School of Management at Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia, was appointed Chair-elect.

Shirly Kleiner Honored with the ACBSP Chair’s Award

Shirly_ChairAward.jpgIn the spirit of The Year of the Member, a theme he announced at the beginning of his term, Dewayne Thompson, Immediate Past-Chair, ACBSP Board of Directors, presented the first Chair’s Award to Shirly Kleiner, ACBSP Past President and Emeritus member, during the Impact Luncheon. “I realized that we didn’t recognize the singular work of our members who demonstrate an unusual commitment to both the philosophy and the practical goals fostered by ACBSP,” said Thompson. “We,the volunteers, are essential to ACBSP’s success in global education; consequently, we should celebrate those individuals who categorically go above and beyond with selfless service to the organization.”

“Shirly was selected by a committee who considered all nominees based on their relevant past and present service to the organization. Shirly not only held the highest office in the organization, serving as President of ACBSP in 2011-12, but she continues to illustrate what it means to have a servant’s heart with continued service whether behind the scenes or publicly. Her experience in the organization extends over two decades of service with the most recent service as a member of the Personnel Committee. She is a perennial host, presenter, or panelist for ACBSP conferences and events,” he said.

Team from University of the Incarnate Word Wins Best Poster in the Business of Branding Poster Session

R-Lunsford_UIW Poster Session 2017Congratulations to Ryan Lunsford, Professor of Management and Chair, Doctor of Business Administration, Julie Weber and David Stein from University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, TX) for their poster, titled: Targeting the Persona of the New Student. The team from UIW, along with individuals from seven other colleges and universities, submitted posters in this inaugural poster session, The Business of Branding: Best Practices for Marketing Your Business School and Programs. This poster session, planned by the Marketing Committee, added a new layer to the annual conference presentations and allowed members to share some great examples of ways in which they are effectively marketing their business programs and the ACBSP accreditation they hold. The Committee has plans to expand the poster session for ACBSP Conference 2018 in Kansas City.

An Accreditation Gala to Remember

Fifty-five institutions were honored during the Accreditation Gala on Monday evening — 30 were celebrating initial accreditation of their business programs and 25 were celebrating reaffirmation of accreditation.

 

Among those honored were Danube University Krems in Krems, Austria, the first in their country to receive specialized accreditation for their business programs. Instituto Superior San Ignacio de Loyola S.A. (ISIL S.A.) in Lima, Perú, is the first accredited associate degree program in their country. University of Hawaii – West Oahu in Kapolei is the first accredited baccalaureate/graduate degree program in Hawaii. Universidad Argentina de la Empresa in Buenos Aires is the first university in Latin America to achieve reaffirmation of ACBSP accreditation for their business programs.

A parade of honorees, proudly displaying the “ACBSP Associate Degree Accredited Programs” and “ACBSP Baccalaureate/Graduate Degree Accredited Programs” gonfalons, entered the Marquis Ballroom to kick-off the Gala. By the end of the evening, many of those honorees were kicking up their heels on the dance floor, celebrating well past midnight with a DJ playing requested songs from the U.S. and Latin America. “Excited to be here and grateful for the recognition,” said Marnelli Joy B. Ulep, Academic Support at University of Hawaii – West Oahu.

The Annual Conference is ACBSP’s largest event of the year and one that leaves a lasting impact on all who attended. One attendee even posted a photo on Twitter saying she was having “serious #ACBSP2017 withdrawal.”

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You’ll read about other conference highlights, such as the Teaching Excellence Award, International Best of Regions Excellence Award, Educational Impact Award, Student Showcase Award, and #ACBSP4Change in Leadership Insight articles throughout this summer issue.

Now it’s time to start planning for next year — ACBSP Conference 2018, June 8-11. We’re Going to Kansas City…Kansas City Here We Come!