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Dateline: 4/8/2009

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE
Dale Goodwin, Director
Peter Tormey, Associate Director

Business School Earns Accounting Accreditation
SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga University School of Business Administration has earned accounting accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a validation of Gonzaga’s high-quality accounting program.

Gonzaga accounting Professor Kay Carnes, associate dean of the Business School and coordinator of accounting programs, said Gonzaga accounting graduates are sought by both accounting firms and business organizations. Worldwide, an accounting degree from an AACSB-accredited accounting program indicates a graduate’s degree is of the highest quality. Only 10 percent of business schools worldwide are accredited by AACSB, Carnes said.

“It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn AACSB accreditation,” said Carnes. “We have been told by alumni and recruiters that we have a superior program. The granting of separate accounting accreditation (recognition beyond Gonzaga’s business school accreditation) confirms that the program is dedicated to the delivery of the highest-quality education for our students.”

Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and adjustment. A business school must develop and implement a plan to meet the 21 AACSB standards requiring a high-quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement, and curricula responsive to the needs of business. Gonzaga’s School of Business achieved this level of accreditation in 1990 and was reaccredited in 1996. Accounting accreditation further requires the satisfaction of an additional set of 15 standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.

AACSB is an association of more than 1,100 educational institutions, business and other organizations in 70 countries dedicated to the advancement of management education worldwide.
The School of Business Administration, led by Dean Clarence “Bud” Barnes, was established in 1921 and offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

For more information, please contact Carnes at (509) 313-3420 or via e-mail.