University of Central Oklahoma Earns AACSB International Accreditation

TAMPA, Fla., May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) announces that the University of Central Oklahoma has earned accreditation for its College of Business. Founded in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting students, educators, and businesses worldwide.

"AACSB congratulates the University of Central Oklahoma and dean Mickey Hepner on earning accreditation," said Robert D. Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "AACSB Accreditation represents the highest achievement for an educational institution that awards business degrees. The entire UCO team—including the administration, faculty, directors, staff, and students—are to be commended for their roles in earning accreditation."

Synonymous to the highest standards of quality, AACSB Accreditation inspires new ways of thinking within business education globally, and as a result, has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business schools. Today, there are 789 institutions across 53 countries and territories that maintain AACSB Accreditation. Similarly, 186 institutions maintain an additional specialized AACSB Accreditation for their accounting programs.

"Over the last seven years the students, staff, faculty, and friends of the University of Central Oklahoma have been working to develop innovative ways to engage our students, support our faculty, and enhance our facilities in order to improve the quality of the educational experiences we provide," said Mickey A. Hepner, dean of the College of Business. "We greatly appreciate that AACSB recognizes our efforts and our commitment to high-quality business education."

AACSB-accredited schools have successfully undergone a rigorous review process conducted by their peers in the business education community, ensuring that they have the resources, credentials, and commitment needed to provide students with a first-rate, future-focused business education. During this multi-year process the school focuses on developing and implementing a plan to align with AACSB's Accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas relating to: strategic management and innovation; student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.

"Quality business education is critical to developing the next generation of leaders, and I commend the University of Central Oklahoma for its dedication, as well as its leadership in the community," said Reid. "Through accreditation, UCO has not only met rigorous standards of excellence, but has also made an external commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that they will continue to innovate and deliver the value promised to their students."

AACSB International also announced that AACSB International also announced that Mississippi College and Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and have earned accreditation in business.

About AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)
As the world's largest business education alliance, AACSB International (AACSB) connects educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders. Synonymous with the highest standards of excellence since 1916, AACSB provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and professional development services to over 1,500 member organizations and more than 785 accredited business schools worldwide. With its global headquarters in Tampa, Florida, USA; Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore, AACSB's mission is to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education. For more information, visit aacsb.edu.

SOURCE AACSB International