On July 10, the AACSB Accreditation Mobilization Meeting was held at China University of Petroleum (East China). Vice President Zhou Peng attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Professor Liu Xin, Associate Dean of the School of Economics and Business Administration at Chongqing University and AACSB accreditation mentor, and Mr. Xu Guodong, East Asia Regional Director of AACSB, were invited to the university to provide on-site guidance and deliver keynote presentations. Heads from the Graduate School, Academic Affairs Office, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Center for Faculty Teaching Development, and Office for the Promotion of Humanities and Social Sciences also attended the meeting.
Founded in 1916, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is the world’s leading business education accreditation organization. AACSB aims to unite outstanding educators, students, and enterprises in the shared mission of cultivating the next generation of impactful leaders. As of now, AACSB has over 1,700 member institutions worldwide. In China, 103 institutions have joined AACSB, among which 49 have earned accreditation. Since SEM launched its AACSB strategic plan, it has adopted a development model driven by accreditation and has made continuous progress in enhancing its overall educational quality. The School has successfully passed the Eligibility Application (EA) phase of the AACSB accreditation process.
Remarks from Vice President Zhou Peng
Vice President Zhou extended a warm welcome to the attending experts and guests. He provided an overview of the university’s and SEM’s development, emphasizing that program accreditation is a crucial tool to enhance the quality of talent cultivation. He affirmed the university’s strong commitment to professional accreditation and to the student-centered education philosophy. SEM plays a vital role in supporting the energy industry and regional development and is the first business school in Shandong Province to be awarded BGA accreditation. The university will continue to provide comprehensive support for SEM’s AACSB accreditation journey and urged all related departments to strengthen collaboration and jointly contribute to the internationalization of the university.
Guidance from AACSB Mentor Professor Liu Xin
Professor Liu Xin expressed his appreciation for the warm reception from the university and SEM and praised the faculty's active engagement in the accreditation process. Drawing from the experience of AACSB accreditation at Chongqing University, he elaborated on the significance and core principles of AACSB, as well as its positive impact on school development, resource allocation, international collaboration, and student development.
Thematic Presentation by AACSB East Asia Regional Director Mr. Xu Guodong
Mr. Xu Guodong delivered a presentation titled Benchmarking International Standards and Building a Distinctive and Internationalized Business School. He provided a comprehensive overview of AACSB's organizational structure, development history, accreditation value, standards framework, underlying logic, accreditation process, and key challenges. He also analyzed the current status of AACSB accreditation efforts among domestic and international institutions.
Targeted Accreditation Roundtables
Following the mobilization ceremony, SEM held a series of targeted roundtable discussions with the AACSB mentor. Professor Liu Xin engaged in three focused discussions with junior faculty, senior faculty, and accreditation coordinators. Topics included SEM’s mission and vision, strategic planning, program design and curriculum structure, quality assurance mechanisms, and faculty qualification and classification standards. The experts fully affirmed the phased achievements of SEM’s AACSB accreditation efforts and provided constructive recommendations for the next stage of work.
