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��Ӱֱ�� State College is proud to announce that the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) has granted first-time accreditation to eight programs within the school’s Business Department.

Programs now accredited by IACBE include: business administration (AS), marketing (AAS), sport management (AS), accounting (AAS), financial planning (BBA), technology management (BBA), business administration (BBA), and sport management (BBA).

IACBE is the leader in mission-driven and outcomes-based programmatic accreditation in business and management education for student-centered colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions throughout the world. The organization determined that ��Ӱֱ�� State’s Business Department “has demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement, excellence in business education, and advancing academic quality in its business programs and operations.”

Business Department Chair Susan Gorman said, “We are thrilled to achieve accreditation status for our business programs from the IACBE Board of Commissioners. This is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and department as a whole to provide students with quality educational programs, outstanding service, and excellence in teaching.”

Dr. Skip Sullivan, president of ��Ӱֱ�� State, said, “The IACBE accreditation reaffirms that ��Ӱֱ�� State College is offering business students a high-quality education and preparing them to be successful in their careers. I applaud everyone within the Business Department whose efforts made the accreditation of these eight programs possible.”

Dr. Kristin Poppo, provost, said, “The accreditation of ��Ӱֱ�� State’s business programs by the IACBE recognizes the exceptional work of our faculty to create and teach strong curricula that prepares students for professional careers in business. We are pleased that the milestone of programmatic accreditation acknowledges the excellence of these programs.”

Dr. John Williams, dean of ��Ӱֱ�� State’s School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology, said, “We are proud that ��Ӱֱ�� State’s Business Department attained IACBE accreditation. The programs were subject to a lengthy and rigorous review process and faculty should be commended for this achievement. This is exciting, and I look forward to the new initiatives, scholarship, and outreach that will occur through the alignment with IACBE. Our business programs have always provided an excellent education for our students and this external validation is well deserved.”

According to Assistant Professor Danielle Green, the department began work to gain first-time accreditation in 2016, and the programs received candidacy status in August 2017.

Afterward, the department spent 18 months writing a comprehensive self-study focusing on eight individual principles as identified by IACBE. These educational principles included Commitment to Integrity, Responsibility, and Ethical Behavior; Quality Assessment and Advancement; Strategic Planning; Business Curricula and Learning Opportunities; Business Faculty Characteristics; Student Policies and Procedures; Resources Supporting Business Education; External Relationships; and Innovation in Business Education.

In March 2019, IACBE conducted a two-day site visit focusing on the department’s self-study evidence provided for each principle. The site visit team then sent their conclusions to IACBE’s Board of Commissioners for a determination on accreditation, which has now been granted.

“Accreditation demonstrates our department is maintaining a high level of standards set by our accrediting agency,” Green said. “Each of these eight degree programs have been evaluated, and it has been determined that we are providing a substantive and valuable education. This is a seal of approval, if you will, that students can be assured that an outside organization has reviewed the quality and integrity of each of our degree programs.”