by Richard
E. Sorensen
for Virginia Business January 2006
Today’s modern business school bears little resemblance
to the one of an earlier generation. The b-school that
once took a back seat to more traditional academic study
has become a driving force in higher education. Programs
for undergraduates and MBA candidates come in all sizes
and shapes. Courses are available on campus, in the suburbs,
downtown, online or abroad; and they are available whenever
you want — full time, part time, evenings, weekends,
alternate weekends or alternate months. In addition,
faculty members produce research, which contributes
to business investment and management practice.
A lack of respect
It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when
the business school suffered from a serious lack of respect
from the rest of the institution. The prevailing opinion
was that business schools didn’t fit the traditional
academic model, and that they were more involved with
applied practice than true, scholarly pursuits.
As time went on, college presidents discovered that vibrant
business schools established strong links to the business
community that not only helped the business school, but
had far-reaching, positive implications for the entire
university. Through the years, b-schools have gained
a measure of respect on campus, and today many are so
successful that they are major profit centers for their
universities.
Business schools operate differently than other schools
on campus. For example, unlike the departments of mathematics,
history, chemistry and philosophy where teaching concepts
are relatively constant, the fluctuating world of business
forces institutions to frequently review and revise curricula.
Because of this, top business schools work hard to build
strong ties to the business community to keep abreast
of the latest trends. This ensures that schools design
coursework that provides students with the most up-to-date
skills to meet the challenging demands of business.
One significant factor in the
growth of b-school school quality is specialized business
school accreditation,
such as that offered by AACSB International — The
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Accreditation helps ensure that schools not only update
curricula but also make a strong commitment to continuous
improvement and undergo a rigorous international peer
review every five years. Once you earn AACSB accreditation — a
process that takes three to seven years to achieve — you
must prove every five years that your school can maintain
that accreditation.
Founded in 1916, AACSB is the first and largest global
organization to provide accreditation to schools of business
and accounting. While there are more than 5,000 business
schools around the world, fewer than 15 percent have
earned AACSB accreditation.
Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, known
for its programs in leadership, information technology,
and study abroad, is one of 506 business schools from
28 nations accredited by AACSB. Established in 1961 as
a business school, the roots of Pamplin College’s
date back to 1925, when Virginia Tech awarded its first
degree in business administration. In 1986, the college
was named in honor of Robert B. Pamplin, a 1933 alumnus
who became chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific Corp.,
and his son, Robert B. Pamplin Jr., a 1964 alumnus who
is a noted businessman and philanthropist. Through the
years, the college has gradually built its reputation.
Today, national rankings place it among the top 50 business
schools, both for its undergraduate and MBA programs.
A catalyst for community prosperity
Regardless of where you live — be it Kilmarnock,
Virginia, or Kilmarnock, Scotland — success in
business becomes a catalyst for community prosperity.
Many times, it starts with the business school, which
has trained a manager, who becomes a CEO, who creates
new ideas, whose activities contribute to the greater
good of the community. Our business schools help begin
the cycle by graduating skilled managers, who can fine
tune operations and help a business reach its maximum
potential. Thriving businesses affect neighborhoods,
cities, states, nations and whole societies. Where there
is gainful employment, a reasonable standard of living,
and free and open access to education, there are flourishing
business activities in the background.
Business schools today shoulder a tremendous responsibility.
At Virginia Tech, we must prepare graduates for successful
careers, and, at the same time, imbue these future managers
with the sense of citizenship to make sensible, moral
judgments when faced with difficult decisions. In this
way, business schools graduates not only help their companies
succeed, but they also contribute to the well-being of
their communities and society as a whole.
Sorensen is dean of the Pamplin
College of Business at Virginia Tech and chairman of
the board of AACSB International —The
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
