Ouachita Baptist University’s Hickingbotham School of Business is one of only nine business schools in the world (among more than 15,000) that is undergraduate-only and accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

AACSB International has announced that 51 business schools, including Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business, have extended their accreditation in business, business and accounting or accounting. Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer degrees in business and accounting.

AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world’s business schools. There currently are 780 business schools in 53 countries and territories that have earned AACSB accreditation.

“AACSB commends each institution for their exemplary work in holding the highest honor in business school accreditation,” said Robert Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “During this peer-review process schools must demonstrate alignment with AACSB’s global accreditation standards, as well as how they encourage engagement, innovation and impact across the communities they serve.”

“We are tremendously proud of this accomplishment,” said Bryan McKinney, dean of Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business. “While it is impressive to note that we are among the top 5 percent of schools in the world to have earned this prestigious accreditation, it’s phenomenal to think that we are among just nine undergraduate-only business schools around the world to earn AACSB accreditation.”

Ouachita President Ben R. Sells affirmed the Hickingbotham School’s significant achievement among elite business schools throughout the nation and world. “This recognition reflects the outstanding work of Dean McKinney and our Hickingbotham School faculty as well as the quality of our students and the success of our alumni,” Dr. Sells said. “We are grateful for the support of our Executive Advisory Board and other friends of Ouachita and the Hickingbotham School.”

Achieving accreditation is a process involving rigorous internal review, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor and peer review. During this multi-year continuous improvement review process, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas related to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.

The AACSB International Board of Directors extended accreditation for business schools in the U.S., Australia, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Spain, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.

As the world’s premier business education network, AACSB International provides business education intelligence, quality assurance and professional development services to more than 1,500 member organizations in 97 countries and territories.

For more information about Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business, contact Bryan McKinney at 870-245-5513 or mckinneyb@obu.edu.