Autumn is such a wonderful time of year and although some of our member schools are below the equator and welcoming summer, not winter, I trust the change in seasons has been a productive and successful transition for our member schools throughout the world.
I also trust the past few months have been quite busy for our members as well. It has been the same at the ACBSP Home Office and I have several announcements that should be of interest to our membership.
Rector Alejandro Cheyne
In late October, I was joined by our Board Chair- Elect, Kim Wong, as we travelled to Bogotá, Colombia, for the investiture of our own Board Chair, Alejandro Cheyne, as the new Rector (which is the Latin American description of president) of the Universidad del Rosario.
This is a big deal.
For starters, the school is 365 years old after being founded by Fray Cristóbal de Torres in 1653. It is generally regarded as the most prestigious institution in Colombia due to its influence in the culture and public life. In fact, more than 30 of Colombia’s Presidents attended Rosario and Colombia’s New President, Iván Duque Márquez, was present to induct Alejandro into office. I was hoping to meet the president; however, he was running a bit late that day and the window closed for me to test my new Spanish speaking skills.
The ceremony will be a lasting reminder for me of just how far our organization and its members have come in higher education. Alejandro joins Cumberland University President, Paul Stumb, as one of two university presidents on the ACBSP Board of Directors and we wish him the best in his new role. Felicitaciones y todo lo major, mi amigo!
Regional Conferences
Fall marks the start of the schedule of our annual regional fall conferences. With now 11 geographic regions located throughout the world, it is an exciting time of year for our members.
Already, I have been to Jersey City, NJ for the Region 1 Fall Conference, and Albuquerque, NM for Region 6. I will also be attending the Region 8 Fall Conference in Paris, France. With so many regions, there is the occasional crossover of dates, so while I am personally not able to attend every regional conference, ACBSP team members from both the membership and accreditation departments are in attendance at every meeting.
Other locations for this year’s conferences include Allentown, PA, for Region 2; Pine Mountain, GA, for Region 3; Joliet, IL, for Region 4; Madison, SD, 2 for Region 5; Kapolei, HI, for Region 7; Lima, Perú, for Region 9; Bangalore, India, for Region 10, and Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada for Region 11. Hopefully, you are aware that this year’s theme is “The Art of Developing Entrepreneurial Leaders” and each region is asked to emphasize the theme in their call for presentations. This theme will culminate at ACBSP Conference 2019 from June 21-24, 2019, in Houston, TX. Presentations given at the regional conferences are eligible for our International Best of Regions Excellence Award, which was created in 2012 to honor exceptional presentations given by members with the ACBSP Annual Conference theme.
For 2019-20, I am pleased to announce the theme will be “Teaching in a Student-Centered World.” This theme will culminate at ACBSP Conference 2020 in Chicago, IL.
In addition, this fall, we will be hosting the 3rd Annual Deans Symposium from November 9-11 in Washington, D.C. There’s still time to register for this highly-rated and engaging event. The Symposium is a part of ACBSP’s “Going Beyond Accreditation” initiative as we continue to transform the organization by offering our members only the best in leadership activities and educational programing.
Establishing a New Region
Speaking of 11 regions, if you were unable to attend our 30th Anniversary ACBSP Conference this past June in Kansas City, you might not be aware that our Board of Directors voted on June 7 to formally establish another region, the Canadian Region.
The proposal, which had been studied for more than a year, had received favorable response by the Association of Canadian Schools of Business (ACSB) and other Canadian educational authorities. The ACBSP Council of Regional Chairs (CRC) was also in support of the idea. The establishment of this region reflects our organization’s respect and admiration for the Canadian system of higher education.
It also reflects the hard work and dedication of our immediate past chair, Mary Vaughan, and we are so excited to continue to increase our Canadian presence. Previously, our Canadian member schools were divided between Region 1, Region 4, and Region 7.
As mentioned, Region 11 will host its inaugural fall conference from November 7-9 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Nominations
Lastly, I wanted to note that all members recently received a Call for Nominations for the Board of Directors, Boards of Commissioners, and the Accreditation Governance Board – AGB. I invite you to consider serving an organization that means so much to business education and we continue to make a difference in the lives of others.
Information regarding nominations and nominating deadline can be found online at: https://www.acbsp.org/news/424026/Official- Notice-of-2018-19-ACBSP-Call-for-Nominations.htm
As always, we are grateful for the trust you place in us.
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