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King’s Business School Programs Reaccredited by International Organization

February 23, 2009 - The undergraduate programs of the McGowan School of Business at King’s College have been granted a six-year reaccreditation by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a distinction earned by only five percent of the business schools in the world.  Founded in 1916 and comprised of more than 1,100 educational institutions in 70 countries, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools.

King’s is one of only two institutions in Pennsylvania and 42 in the country that has a solely undergraduate business school accredited by AACSB.  The bachelor’s degree programs in accounting, business administration, marketing, finance, human resource management and international business were all reaccredited following an internal review and a visit from a peer review team comprised of representatives of business schools from Roger Williams University, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of South Carolina at Aiken.

“The AACSB reaccreditation is an external affirmation of the quality of instruction offered by the faculty of the McGowan School of Business at King’s,” said Father Thomas O’Hara, C.S.C., president.  “The reaccreditation team reported that King’s students support the mission and vision of the College, specifically the goal of ethics education which is underwritten in part  by a grant from the McGowan Charitable Fund and is part of the mission of the College’s founding fathers, the Holy Cross Congregation.  The Charitable Trust was established by William G. McGowan, a local native, King’s graduate, and founder and chair of MCI Communications.”

The McGowan School of Business received its initial AACSB accreditation in 2004 based on a demonstrated commitment to 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as commitment to continuous improvements and achievement of learning goals in the degree programs.
                                                           
“I am proud that our AACSB peer review team commended the McGowan School of Business on ‘our commitment to students, community, and profession,’” said Father Jack Ryan, C.S.C., dean of the McGowan School of Business. 

“It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation,” said Jerry Trapnell, chief accreditation officer of AACSB International.  “Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty, and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students.”

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the congregation of Holy Cross.

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