Fairfield’s Dolan F. School of Business received extended accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in mid-April and placed itself in a class with only 10 percent of business schools worldwide.
The list of accredited business schools in the U.S. includes the likes of Yale, Georgetown, Harvard and Cornell universities. This prestigious award is withdrawn if the school does not maintain its standard of excellence
“The accreditation is great. Kids who graduate can get better jobs; it makes the entire program better as a whole,” said senior business student Sean Fitzgerald.
Norm Solomon, dean of the Dolan School of Business, said he is proud of the efforts put forth by the students and faculty of the department.
“This is an affirmation of all our hard work,” he said. “My belief is that reaccreditation is a true testament to the commitment to excellence of our faculty and the tremendous quality of our students.”
Solomon said the accreditation process requires schools to submit yearly reports and then submit themselves to a rigorous re-inspection every five years.
“We were initially accredited in 1997 and must maintain their standard in order for our accreditation to be renewed,” he said.
“After the reports have been submitted, a team of three deans from various schools we aspire to (i.e. Marquette) come for a two-day visit,” he said. “During their inspection they have access to teacher resumes and can stop and question any member of the school at any time.”
Academic Vice President Orin Grossman commented on the inspection team’s reaction to the business school.
“The AACSB Peer Review Team was clearly very impressed by the academic excellence of the Dolan School,” he said.
Solomon said the accreditation will also help students obtain employment after graduation.
“It is not necessarily a requirement for a student to graduate from a school with the accreditation in order for them to get a job,” he said. “However, the award highlights the gold standard the program is held to and enhances the student’s degree.”
Winston Tellis, information systems and operations management professor, said he was excited about the extended accreditation.
“The accreditation first and foremost affirms out legitimacy as a Jesuit University,” he said. “We must know that we are comfortable with our overall performance before we can attempt to attract prospective students and faculty.”
Business school students shared feelings of accomplishment and noted how the accreditation affects them as undergrads.
“It’s real important,” Dan Shannon ’07. “If a school is not accredited then it demeans the degree. An accreditation puts a school in a very high class.”
Another business student, Aldo Hope ’09, said the accreditation adds to the business school’s positive reputation.
“It helps legitimize the school and gets it nationally recognized,” said Hope. “It would probably encourage more people to come if they see it’s accredited.”
William Weitzer, senior vice president, said: “It was clear from the exit interview that the team was impressed with the Dolan School. I was particularly pleased with their finding that there is good correspondence between the Dolan School and Fairfield’s Jesuit mission.”
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