News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Angey Saucier Date: 5/20/03   SLU BUSINESS PROGRAMS, ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT REACCREDITED       HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s business programs in the College of Business and Technology and the department of accounting have received a 10-year reaffirmation of their accreditations from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).        Only one-third of university business programs in the United States have achieved AACSB accreditation, and only 160 accounting programs throughout the world are AACSB accredited.  Both the accounting department’s undergraduate and graduate programs received reaffirmation of accreditation.       To achieve accreditation, programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards related to strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students in the educational process, and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.       AACSB International is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations. Its mission is excellence in management education in colleges and universities. Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools.       “AACSB sets what is considered the ‘gold standard’ for business and accounting programs,” said John Crain, Southeastern provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The peer review process employed by AACSB is rigorous and comprehensive and is designed to confirm the quality and continuous improvement associated with these programs.”       “The College has worked hard for almost four years to ensure that quality expectations and accreditation criteria were met,” said Michael Budden, dean of the College of Business and Technology. “Reaffirmation of these programs at Southeastern is testimony to the quality of education we provide.”       In the report on its site visit, AACSB noted the college and department’s excellent leadership team, dedicated and accessible faculty, state-of-the-art technology in classrooms, its advisory boards of area business and accounting leaders, and the faculty and student support offered by the university’s Sims Memorial Library.       Also praised by the accreditation committee was the recognition of the accounting department as a Southeastern Area of Excellence, a designation obtained in 2000.       “Continued accreditation of the accounting program places it at the forefront of accounting programs nationally,” said Rick Simpson, head of the department. “This follows the university’s declaration three years ago that the department was academically strong and an area of excellence.”       The College of Business and Technology consists of six undergraduate programs – accounting, industrial technology, computer science, management, general business, marketing, and finance – and two graduate programs – master of business administration and executive master of business administration. All programs in the college are nationally accredited. Business programs are accredited by the AACSB. Computer science and industrial technology programs are separately accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the National Association of Industrial Technology, respectively. Return to News Releases