Business department renewing accreditation

by: erin tiesman
Staff Writer

According to Phil Hall, professor of managerial studies, the SAU College of Business is going through their ten-year accreditation renewal process.

“Accreditation acts as an assurance for employers and our students that they are getting a solid education in coursework,” Hall said. “It helps for the credibility of the college.”

The accreditation process is connected to the Association of College Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), one of the primary institutions for accreditation in the United States.

“We are connected to the ACBSP because Ambrose focuses on teaching instead of research,” Hall said. “The process every ten years helps guarantee that we will improve instead of staying where we’re at with our progress.”

Hall explained that the whole college is going through the transition of accreditation, and other departments such as occupational and physical therapy, nursing, engineering and others are taking the same responsibility.

Hall also said the process began in the spring of 2004 with the application and a site visit by the ACBSP.

“We have to meet their standards,” he said. “Standards include our teaching mission, coursework, etc.  Larger institutions focus on research rather than teaching, which is just their way of preparing students.”

An advisory council called the Business Advisory Council is a panel of 35 area professionals that help guide SAU in the direction they need to go for training business students.

“It is a road of continuous improvement,” Hall said. “We must deliver what students education requires. We are all members of this community.”

Though the College of Business will not know if their accreditation is renewed until later this month, they are optimistic of the outcome.

“Keeping the students well trained and keeping SAU as a professional school of business is our real main vehicle for the approval,” Hall said. “This helps us be sure we’re doing what we should be to improve our standards for everyone."