UHH undergraduate program one of 35 in U.S. with accreditation
The University of Hawaii at Hilo's College of Business and Economics has received international accreditation for its undergraduate program.
That gives UH-Hilo the second accredited business program in the state and only the 35th accredited undergraduate program in the nation.
"This is a tremendous achievement," said Marcia Sakai, interim dean of the College of Business and Economics.
The college is the newest at UH-Hilo and offers baccalaureate degrees in business administration or economics. Students may focus on accounting, e-commerce, finance, management, marketing, tourism, international economics or traditional economics.
To gain accreditation from the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business, the program had to meet standards for management of resources, interaction among faculty and students, and the achievement of learning goals in degree programs.
An accrediting team consisting of business school deans from other universities visited the campus last October and cited "enthusiastic support from the regional business community" among the program's positive attributes.
"Our faculty and staff worked seven long years to lay the groundwork for last fall's visit, which led to the board's decision," Sakai said. "We received countless contributions from the administration, student affairs, the library, academic computing, marketing and alumni affairs and the Business and Industry Leaders Council, which made this a total team effort."
Thursday's "Celebration of Accreditation" was attended by more than 100 university officials and community leaders. Guest speaker was Howard Dicus, Web and broadcast editor for Pacific Business News.
The AACSB-International accreditation, representing the highest standard of achievement for schools worldwide, has been awarded to 485 institutions. UH-Hilo is the 35th undergraduate-only school to earn distinction, Sakai said.
"It's a huge step forward for the university academically," said Carol Van Camp, general manager of Prince Kuhio Plaza and member of the college's Advisory Council. "It's very prestigious in terms of quality. It impacts student interest in the program and the caliber of education.
"With our tremendous shortage of labor, it couldn't come at a better time. It's a great opportunity," Van Camp said.
The College of Business and Economics, formerly part of the School of Business in the College of Arts and Sciences, was established in January 2004. The five-year accreditation period begins this year.
"This is another important step that will help to position us as the state's leader in small business entrepreneurship," said UH-Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. "When you add this to our existing programs, partnership with the Small Business Development Center, and recent opening of the Hawaii Innovation Center in Hilo, it really gives us an outstanding story to tell."
The college has 370 students enrolled, 15 faculty members, a dean and two administrative staff members.
"It's a significant achievement because we are so small," Sakai said. "We've had very strong support from the community."
The only other accredited business program in the state is the College of Business Administration at UH-Manoa, which has close to 1,000 students.
Hunter Bishop can be reached at <mailto:hbishop@
hawaiitribune-herald.com>hbishop@hawaiitribune-herald.com.