Schenectady, N.Y. (SEPT. 3, 2001) – Union College's MBA program is reaping the benefits of
its recent accreditation by AACSB – the International Association for
Management Education, according to its director, Susan Lehrman.
“We have seen a significant increase in a number of vital indicators – overall
incoming class size, full-time student enrollment, and foreign student yield,”
she said. “While AACSB is not the sole reason for the increases, it is a very
significant factor.”
The accreditation has also served the MBA program well in the important area of
establishing networks with firms in the region. “Many more businesses and
organizations are in the fold, from offering graduates jobs to establishing
professional internships and co-ops. This is directly a result of the
accreditation; AACSB is an accurate, objective assessment of the program's
quality, which is very important for business buy-in.”
The program welcomes a full-time starting class for the 2001-02
academic year of 50 students, a 35 percent increase over the average for the
last five years; 38 students comprised the 2000-2001 class.
“We're pleased that in addition to the enrollment increases, student
quality remains strong,” Lehrman said. “The incoming class grade point average
is 3.3.”
Accreditation is particularly valued among foreign
students, according to Lehrman. “We are recruiting overseas with impressive
results,” she said. “Fifteen full-time foreign students are starting this fall,
compared to an average of seven over the past five years.” The MBA program will
expand its international recruitment effort in the coming year by focusing on
areas including China, Taiwan, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Western Europe.
The MBA program earned accreditation by the AACSB, the nation's leading
accreditation organization for business schools, in December. The MBA program at
Union is one of only 28 graduate-only business programs worldwide to hold AACSB
accreditation. Other graduate-only schools include London Business School,
Stanford University, University of Chicago, Duke University, Dartmouth College,
Yale University, Columbia University, and Harvard University. In the United
States, less than 30 percent of collegiate business programs are AACSB
accredited.
Now in its seventh decade, Union's MBA program is the smallest of all accredited
business programs in the country; it emphasizes close personal attention (the
average class size is 15), strong links with the global business community,
individualized programs, and the effective use of technology.
Call 518-388-6597 to contact Susan Lehrman, MBA program director directly.