Notes from the 2020 AACSB International Deans Conference
GRLI’s founding Secretary General, Dr. Anders Aspling, participated in the February 2–4 AACSB International Deans Conference in Nashville, Tenessee. He joined nearly 800 business deans who discussed business education and accreditation under the theme of “Connecting Visionary Mindsets.”
A highlight of the event was the debut of the new AACSB Standards Exposure Draft 2.
The 2020 draft includes a new Standard 9: Engagement and Societal Impact, which focuses on a school’s internal/external initiatives and/or activities, consistent with the school’s mission, strategy, and expected outcomes.
STANDARD 9: ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIETAL IMPACT 9.1 The school demonstrates positive societal impact through internal and external initiatives and/or activities, consistent with the school’s mission, strategies, and expected outcomes.
Anders noted how hopeful it was to hear deans commenting positively on the role GRLI has as knowledge creators and learning facilitators to further engaging for positive and inclusive societal impact.
Adding his support for the new standards, Anders said: “We congratulate AACSB on the changes, which take different contexts more explicitly into account, and which are supporting and mobilising for a much needed focus on responsibilities for a world in need of academic and educational knowledge and practical collaboration. All of which together lead to positive social, economic and environmental outcomes — enhanced collective societal impact.”
Comments on the draft are open until March 4. A membership vote on the 2020 Business Accreditation Standards is planned for the International Conference and Annual Meeting on 26–28 April 26–28 in Denver Colorado.
Watch the standards presentation, starting at 42:11, in the video below.
During the event, Anders met with over 20 of our GRLI Partners, Associates and Board members during a packed 2-day agenda. Sanjay Sharma, Dean, Grossman School of Business, University of Vermont, co-led a session on leveraging budget models under different funding frameworks, and a discussion on the implications of each model for financial sustainability and vitality.
In another session, Per Cramér, Dean, School of Business, Economics, and Law, University of Gothenburg, co-led a session called “Furthering Capacity Building for Sustainable Development”, which explored how business schools are creating impact and solving real-world problems.
Anders took special note of the interactive and well-received session co-hosted by Maury Peiperl, Dean, George Mason University, on the challenges that business school deans face balancing local needs they are expected to meet and a global mission they aspire to pursue.
Members of our Deans & Directors Cohort took the opportunity to meet in person and discuss our future work and our way forward. The next convening of the Deans and Directors Cohort will be co-hosted by Leeds School of Business and Babson College, immediately following the AACSB ICAM in Denver, Colorado.
Offering his thanks to the AACSB team, Anders said, “Thank you, Tom, Michael and team, for an interesting and well managed Deans Conference. Your commitment to our important task and our unique peer learning-and-action community is impressive. It is apparent that you are not just committed to making this world a better place for all of us, but also to do so by continuous practical work.”
