School of Business

ACCREDITATION

The business and accounting programs offered by the School of Business are accredited by AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and Master of Accountancy.

AACSB is recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, as a specialized accrediting agency for undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration and accounting.

MISSION STATEMENT

We graduate prospective leaders who are ethical, broadly educated problem-solvers, effective team players, clear writers, and articulate speakers.

We cultivate a community of learners by emphasizing:

A rigorous, broad academic experience;
Effective communication skills;
Highly selective admission of students;
Teaching, while valuing applied and instructional scholarship and service.

School of Business Objectives

In support of the School’s mission the objectives of the business programs naturally involve students, curriculum, faculty, and resources. Assessing the outcomes of objectives is necessary for accountability and continuous improvement.

Students are the focus of our educational institution. The student objectives of the Business Program are:

to attract and retain students with superior academic qualifications and demographic diversity comparable to the University’s student population;
to prepare students for business or professional positions in the public and private sectors;
to graduate students qualified for admission to select professional or graduate programs;
to prepare students for future leadership and service opportunities; and
to assist students in making career and educational decisions.

The Business Program curricula provide the framework for educating young women and men to contribute to a global society in which diversity, changing technology, and difficult ethical decisions are prevalent. The curriculum objectives of the Business Programs are:

to offer Business degrees that build upon a liberal arts and sciences foundation including calculus, statistics, and foreign language(s). Specifically, the Business Programs will further develop written and oral communication, computer, quantitative, and critical thinking skills;
to develop fundamental business knowledge in the areas of accounting, legal environment of business, organizational behavior, finance, marketing, production, information systems, economics, and statistics which are integrated with the completion of a senior capstone course;
to provide opportunities for students to study in the specialized areas of accounting, finance, management, and marketing; and
to increase study abroad and other international opportunities for Business and Accounting students. Capable and dedicated faculty are essential for facilitating student learning.

The faculty objectives of the Business Programs are:

to hire and retain academically and professionally qualified faculty in the foundation and concentration areas;
to provide sufficient numbers of faculty to maintain class sizes which are comparable to the University average and which will facilitate active-learning techniques;
to promote faculty development through seminars, faculty mentoring, participation at academic and professional meetings; and to provide each faculty member opportunities for international study, travel, or teaching experience; and
to evaluate faculty by placing primary emphasis on teaching effectiveness and accessibility to students with secondary emphasis on service and intellectual contributions which support the teaching mission of the School.

A variety of accessible resources are necessary to support effective Business Administration and Accounting education. Resource objectives are:

to provide facilities that promote learning and high academic achievement;
to provide and continuously upgrade computer technology, and maintain adequate technical support services;
to provide and continuously upgrade library holdings and information databases to support the mission of the School;
to provide funding for faculty development activities; and
to provide staff support sufficient for faculty to meet the various school objectives.

Accountability for student learning is linked to the multiple assessment measures used to evaluate the outcomes of a liberal education, communication skills, knowledge in the major, and student attitudes. The data from the assessment instruments are analyzed and used:

to foster improvement through revising curriculum and program requirements;
to implement varied instructional methodologies; and
to advise students.