The College of Business and Public Administration at Cal State San Bernardino has earned reaccreditation of its business programs by AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only 593 schools of business from 37 nations, or less than 5 percent worldwide, have earned this distinguished hallmark of excellence in management education.

"I congratulate our faculty and staff," said Karen Dill Bowerman, dean of CSUSB's College of Business and Public Administration. "The road of change under the new accreditation standards was not always easy - and together we were successful. Faculty committees assessed student learning, honed our mission and objectives regularly, updated curriculum and set quality expectations, while individual faculty members published their work at record rates. I thank every stakeholder who helped achieve the reaffirmation of our accreditation."

To maintain accreditation a business program must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the program must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs

"It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation," said Jerry Trapnell, chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty, and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students."

Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

Cal State San Bernardino's College of Business and Public Administration is distinguished as the first such institution in the Inland Empire to gain national accreditation at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Princeton Review annually recognizes Cal State San Bernardino as having one of the nation's outstanding business schools.

The college utilizes a real-world approach to business in all of its 17 undergraduate concentrations, encouraging students to participate in numerous internship programs, business centers and business alliances. At the graduate level, both the M.B.A. and masters of science in accountancy are covered by the extension of accreditation.

CSUSB's graduate-level entrepreneurship program captured the 2010 national Entrepreneurship Educational Award for "Outstanding Specialty Entrepreneurship Program" from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recognizing the program for its work in mentoring top minority science students doing advanced graduate work in technology entrepreneurship.

The college's internship program places about 250 students throughout the region and in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., each year. An Executive-in-Residence joins students every year in informal settings to discuss careers. In addition to the traditional business programs such as accounting, finance, management, and marketing, the college provides concentrations in supply chain management, real estate, entrepreneurship, and public administration.

For more information about CSUSB's College of Business and Public Administration, visit the college's Web site. To learn more about AACSB International accreditation, visit its accreditation Web page.