Ithaca College

The Ithaca College School of Business has earned accreditation of its bachelor's and master's degree programs in business administration from AACSB International -- the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The achievement comes following five years of preparation by the school, during which it committed to a systematic program of quality enhancement and continuous improvement that ensures its students are prepared to contribute to their organizations and society.

"The faculty and administration of the School of Business are to be applauded for achieving this honor," says President Peggy R. Williams. "When paired with our plans to build a sustainably designed new home for the school, this is truly an exciting time to be studying business at Ithaca."

A not-for-profit organization comprising more than 900 educational organizations and corporations, AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools. Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review.

"This is a distinction held by only one in six business schools worldwide," says Susan West Engelkemeyer, dean of the School of Business. "Accreditation is an assurance that our programs effectively manage resources to fulfill a vibrant and relevant mission in order to produce graduates who have achieved learning goals that relate to the school's mission and purpose. This involves providing high-caliber teaching and up-to-date curricula, advancing business and management knowledge through faculty scholarship, and cultivating meaningful interaction between students and faculty."

An AACSB peer review team spent several days on campus in March. In the report on their visit, the reviewers wrote, "The team was impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of faculty, staff, and administration for developing an environment to ensure continuous improvement in the School of Business." For more information on AACSB International, visit www.aacsb.edu/accreditation.

The quality of the students and faculty in the School of Business is evidenced by the numerous honors they have earned in recent years. For example, the school's chapter of the honorary and professional management fraternity Sigma Iota Epsilon has won the national chapter of the year award in four of the past six years, with six of its members earning national scholarship awards in that time. Research presented by professor Fahri Unsal and two students received the "best paper" award at the 2003 Association for Global Business conference. And senior finance and accounting major Apostol D. Nikolov was named one of the recipients of a 2004 Student Achievement Award from the Wall Street Journal.