PLU School of Business renews a mark of distinction with AACSB accreditation

“This is a major accomplishment and signifies academic excellence at PLU,” said Mark Mulder, Ph.D., dean of the School of Business. “We are among the smallest schools to achieve this honor and we share AACSB accreditation with universities like Harvard, Howard and Princeton.”

PLU’s School of Business has been accredited by AACSB since 1971.

The voluntary, non-governmental accrediting agency has evaluated the excellence of collegiate schools of business across the nation since 1916. It has long been considered the gold standard of business school accreditation around the globe.

In its report, the accreditation team noted several of PLU’s innovative and best practices in the School of Business, including:

Nourish Project: Students, trained by a professor of practice and alumni in the art of consulting, work as consultants to women- and minority-owned businesses.

Guide X Side: This program links alumni, business leaders and community members with first-year and first-generation students, who meet with volunteer mentors periodically during the academic year.

Business Justice Initiative: Launched in fall 2021, this project gives business students an opportunity to understand, identify and reflect on areas of structural inequities in business and society, and learn to advocate for positive change.

100 Voices Project: This project focuses on gaining valuable insights from prospective employers and industry’s expectations of 21st century skills. At the same time, it gives faculty an opportunity to examine and reflect on the appropriateness and relevance of social issues embedded in the business curriculum.

Student feedback in the report includes comments from military veterans, who noted the outstanding nature of the program and how PLU made it possible for them to enroll in the business graduate program. Students also pointed to the high quality of faculty and professional staff who provided guidance on enrollment, course schedules and other issues —allowing students to focus on academics.

Other students highlighted program flexibility, small class sizes, a global perspective, evidenced through international experience (trips to Germany and Peru in spring 2022, for example), projects in the community, the availability of evening classes and more.

AACSB-accredited schools undergo an intense peer-reviewed evaluation process and must demonstrate a commitment to excellence in teaching, research, curricula development and student learning. Once initial accreditation is achieved, each institution participates in a five-year continuous improvement review that is designed to ensure it maintains the highest standards.