AACSB's 2020 Committee Meets in Singapore at ICAM 2014

TAMPA, Fla., April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, AACSB International (AACSB) held the first meeting of its recently established 2020 Committee at its International Conference and Annual Meeting (ICAM), the largest gathering of the year for global business schools. The primary objective of the 2020 Committee is to recommend the strategies and structures to significantly increase AACSB's achievement of its global mission.

The committee will isolate specific opportunities to strengthen the association's global presence, ensure its membership advantage, and outline a course for the organization's future. The committee is co-chaired by Santiago Iniguez, dean of IE Business School in Madrid, and Mark Rice, vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.

"The 2020 Committee not only will determine what AACSB must do to enter the next stage of globalization, it also will offer clear direction and tangible action to be taken both now and in the future when the next president and CEO begins with AACSB," said Linda Livingstone, vice chair – chair elect of AACSB's board of directors, and dean and professor of management at Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management in California. "The diversity of the 2020 Committee will bring tremendous value to this effort, plotting the next course of globalization for AACSB."

In addition, AACSB introduced ICAM, the largest gathering of the year for global business schools, to Singapore this week. ICAM Singapore is the 98^th annual meeting of the oldest and most recognized business school association. This year, delegates from 55 countries and 577 institutions are exploring trends and challenges facing management education. ICAM co-hosts included Educational Testing Service, Emerald Group Publishing, Graduate Management Admission Council, KPMG Foundation, and the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University.

Since AACSB opened its Asia Pacific Headquarters in Singapore in June 2009, it has seen its membership across Asia Pacific increase by 83 percent, from 143 member schools in 2009 to 261 today. "AACSB has invested considerable time into positioning the organization as a global leader in management education," said Bob Sullivan, chair of the board of AACSB and dean and the Stanley and Pauline Foster Endowed Chair at the Rady School of Management at the University of California in San Diego, as well as current chair of the board.

"AACSB's decision to establish a headquarters in Singapore was largely due to the impact and influence many schools were already having in Asia Pacific, and ICAM provides a platform by which these innovations could be shared with leaders in education around the world."

The AACSB 2020 Committee will complete its work and report its recommendations in December 2014.

About AACSB International
AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is an association of more than 1,400 educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations in 88 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore. For more information, please visit: www.aacsb.edu.

SOURCE The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business