Prestigious Accreditation Extended for IC’s School of Business

By Robin Roger, January 29, 2020

Less than 5 percent of business programs worldwide achieve AACSB accreditation.

The School of Business at Ithaca College is one of a select group of institutions that hold accreditations for both their business and accounting programs.

(Photo by Giovanni Santacroce/Ithaca College)

The Ithaca College School of Business has had its accreditation by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business extended. Considered the hallmark of excellence in business education, AACSB accreditation has been earned by less than 5% of the world’s business programs. AACSB-accredited schools have the highest quality faculty, deliver relevant and challenging curriculum, and provide education and career opportunities not found at other schools.

“AACSB congratulates Ithaca College’s School of Business on extending its accreditation,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “The intense peer-review process confirms a school’s continued focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curricula development, and student learning. Ithaca College’s dedication to delivering high quality business education will create the next generation of great leaders.”

“The highlight of the report and debrief are the observations the team made about our students’ professionalism, commitment to the school, and sense of appreciation for their Ithaca College experience.”

School of Business Dean Sean Reid

The school earned initial accreditation of its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in business administration in 2005. To maintain accreditation, programs must undergo a rigorous review every five years, demonstrating a continued commitment to the 21 quality standards. Those standards relate to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources and interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

Specific commendations and best practices highlighted in this year’s review include the Professions Program, the feedback mechanism for assurance of learning results, and the MBA in Entertainment and Media Management. The report states: “The new MBA program is a terrific example of drawing on Ithaca College’s strength and working across schools to achieve interdisciplinary new program development.”

Students present their idea for VerseBox, a monthly subscription box that includes skincare, makeup and hair care products, at IC Startup Idea Demo Day.

(Photo by Evan Montgomery '18)

The report also lauded the close working relationships between faculty and students and engagement with the larger business community. As examples, it listed the Rev: Ithaca Startup Works Demo Day, the Business Plan Demo Day, entrepreneurship mentoring, student participation in the Hardware Accelerator to develop prototypes, the High School Investment Competition, the Market Maker Business Awards, and the trips to the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting.

“The highlight of the report and debrief are the observations the team made about our students’ professionalism, commitment to the school, and sense of appreciation for their Ithaca College experience,” said School of Business Dean Sean Reid.

The school offers bachelor of science degrees in accounting and business administration (with concentrations in corporate accounting, finance, international business, management, sport management and sport marketing). At the graduate level, it offers an MBA degree in entertainment and media management and a master of science degree in accounting.