UNC Asheville's Management and Accountancy Program Earns Elite Accreditation

UNC Asheville's Management and Accountancy Department recently received accreditation of its bachelor's degree programs in business from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB). Only 482 schools worldwide have achieved this elite accreditation.

"The AACSB accreditation of the UNC Asheville Department of Management and Accountancy is an important event in its own right, but is especially delightful in that it will allow a wider audience to realize what a gem this program has become," said Mark Padilla, UNCA provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.

Regional business leaders were involved in the process of accreditation and have been integral to the program by serving as mentors and providing student internships.

"The accreditation is wonderful news," said Teck Penland, president and CEO of Mountain Area Health Education Center and a member of the UNCA Management and Accountancy Department's Advisory Board. "It assures that our organization, along with others in the community, will have access to well trained management and leadership employees."

Claudel McKenzie, chair of UNCA's Management and Accountancy Department, is proud of the work that the faculty, students and advisory board have done to earn the accreditation.

"This special accreditation enhances the value of UNC Asheville's management and accountancy degree program and is a stamp of approval that employers value when hiring our graduates," said McKenzie. "It's a wonderful achievement for the university and for the department. It recognizes the high quality of our university, our faculty and our students."

The AACSB visiting committee's unconditional recommendation for accreditation included six commendations of strengths, innovations and unique features, and two effective practices. It cited McKenzie's effective guidance of the department during the accreditation process, and it praised UNCA's liberal arts mission. "The University's commitment to the liberal arts clearly engenders a commitment to life-long learning among business students," the report said.

The report also commended the high caliber of students and faculty. 

"UNCA is blessed to have very knowledgeable faculty in the Department of Management and Accountancy who are interested in providing students with exceptional instruction and guidance," said Adam Cook, a UNCA junior accounting major. "I am thankful that the department is receiving outside recognition for the quality of education that my fellow students and I already recognize as an excellent academic program."

The department underwent an extensive five-year self-evaluation of all aspects of its services and academic programs. In February, the AACSB Peer Review Team visited campus and evaluated all aspects of the Management and Accountancy Department. Using stringent criteria, AACSB rated the curriculum, degree requirements, student resources, technology, faculty performance, testing mechanisms, and the mission and objectives set forth by the department.

UNCA's Management and Accountancy Department offers three distinct bachelor of science degrees: management, accounting, and industrial and engineering management. Nearly 3,000 students have earned degrees since the department was founded in the early 1970s. Currently, the department employs 13 full-time and 5 part-time faculty members. Some 77 students will graduate from the program this spring.

AACSB International is the premier international accrediting agency for business schools and is considered one of higher education's most rigorous accrediting bodies. It is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations.

Media Contacts:

• Claudel McKenzie, UNCA Chair and Associate Professor of Management and Accountancy, 828/251-6842
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526