Accounting program gets internationally accredited

BY DEANNA BAILEY
The Parthenon
  
An international association accredited the Lewis College of Business undergraduate and graduate accounting programs as one of the top accounting programs in the world.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business recognized Marshall's bachelor's and master's in business administration accounting program as one of the top 170 schools in the world for the 2008-2009 academic year.  

"It takes three to four years to be internationally accredited," said Suneel Maheshwari, interim division head of the accountancy and legal environment department.  "The accounting department worked very hard to achieve this."

"We have a very high standard accounting program here," said Chong Kim, dean of the business school.  "It shows the good job the faculty and students are doing."

At Marshall, according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business' Web site, with 55 full time faculty, 87.3 percent of faculty has a doctorate degree and 50 faculty members are considered participating.

"The faculty worked very hard to help receive this accreditation," Maheshwari said.  "They have helped developed programs here and have written publications, which is one of the primary reasons we are accredited."

To be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business, accounting programs have a list of basic requirements such as development and involvement of the faculty, the design and effectiveness of the curriculum, and the academic preparation and capabilities of entering students. Maheshwari said they went above and beyond.

"There are 15 additional standards that we excelled in such as doubling our relationships with accountants regionally and nationally," Maheshwari said.  "Not only that, we have a very successful alumni in prominent jobs in government positions and corporations who are still involved with our program; we do things like that to help with the accreditation process."

Maheshwari said students benefit the most from the accreditation.

"Students are the direct beneficiary of this accreditation," Maheshwari said.  "It improves their learning and increases their job prospects.  We have already seen more students declaring to be an accounting major."

Deanna Bailey can be contacted at bailey360@marshall.edu.