AACSB Bridge Program: Transitioning Executives From the Boardroom to the Classroom

TAMPA, Fla., July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AACSB International (AACSB) recently graduated a group of 19 senior-level executives from the AACSB Bridge Program, who are ready to transfer their expertise and real-world knowledge to the next generation of business leaders.

In today's climate, academia faces the challenge of finding qualified professionals with the valuable insights students need to understand the rapidly changing business environment—and AACSB offers a program to successfully 'bridge' this gap.

The AACSB Bridge Program is an intensive five-day program that provides the skills, training and guidance necessary to reduce faculty shortages at AACSB-accredited business schools. This innovative program increases the pool of highly-qualified professors with significant business experience.

On June 13, 2014, the AACSB Bridge Program, hosted by Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, graduated the following business professionals from a variety of business fields: Donna L. Abelli, Jaafar Ali Al-Sarraf, Nicholas A. Clements, Marcus Collins, Gregory L. Davis, Emily Edwards, Michael P. Friezo, Donald L. Hansen, Jr., Steven Z. Hodaszy, Michael J. Kliegman, Dennis Martin, Bruce Monahan, David C. Nagel, Erin O'Brien, Carol Locher Ransone, Judith Richards, Steve Scott, D. Michael Travis and Vijaykumar Velamoor.

"The AACSB Bridge Program successfully balances high-level expectations of academe with real-world talents from around the world," said Robyn Hall, AACSB International's assistant vice president of Global Seminars. "By merging scholarship with practice, this innovative program helps to bring senior-level executives into the classroom, and scholarship closer to the business world—positively impacting our next generation of leaders."

To be eligible for the program, applicants must be actively participating in their field of interest, have 5–7 years of extensive industry experience and have limited teaching experience. Individuals are carefully selected to ensure that they will have a powerful impact in the classroom, and that they meet the requirements for a scholarly or instructional practitioner at an AACSB-accredited institution.

Since 2006, more than 340 global executives have successfully completed the program—from small business owners and entrepreneurs, to individuals from corporations such as BP America, Booz Allen Hamilton, Clif Bar & Company, Hallmark Cards, Inc., Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, KPMG, Lockheed Martin, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and TIAA-CREF. Many of these executives now serve as valued faculty members at business schools throughout the world.

For more information on the program or its recent global graduates, visit the AACSB Bridge Program at http://www.aacsb.edu/Bridge.

About AACSB International
AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is an association of more than 1,450 educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations in 89 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore.  For more information, please visit www.aacsb.edu.

SOURCE AACSB International