Barney School of Business Maintains Prestigious AACSB International Accreditation

Posted 01/06/2011

Posted by David Isgur

The Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford has maintained its business accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). On January 5, AACSB International announced that 47 schools have maintained their accreditation in business and the Barney School of Business is among them. AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business schools. There are only 607 business schools in 38 countries that have AACSB accreditation.

The Barney School of Business first earned AACSB accreditation in 2000. Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and adjustment and can take several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to meet the 21 AACSB standards requiring a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement, and curricula responsive to the needs of business.

"We are thrilled to once again receive AACSB International accreditation," said James Fairfield-Sonn, dean of the Barney School of Business. "The review committee was impressed with all we have done to pursue our mission to 'prepare individuals to be leaders and decision-makers who are globally aware and socially responsible.' We have built processes and systems to support our mission and it shows."

"It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn AACSB accreditation," said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "Schools must not only meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculties and staffs must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to students."

Founded in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. For more information, please visit www.aacsb.edu.

The Barney School of Business is one of seven schools and colleges within the University of Hartford. It offers six undergraduate majors and two graduate degree programs in business. Chartered in 1957 with the mission to be a "private university with a public purpose," the University of Hartford offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in the arts, the humanities, business, engineering and technology, education, and the health professions. The University's student body of nearly 7,200 represents 48 states and more than 60 countries. For more information, visit www.hartford.edu.