UC San Diego's Rady School of Management Earns Prestigious AACSB International Business Accreditation

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego has earned initial accreditation from AACSB International - Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Founded in 2003, the Rady School is the only new business school created at a U.S. News & World Report top 10 ranked public research university during the past 30 years, and is one of the youngest in the nation to achieve this AACSB recognition.

The Rady School joins an elite group of institutions that have achieved business accreditation from AACSB International. To achieve initial accreditation, an institution's business program must undergo a meticulous internal review and evaluation process.  Less than 5 percent of business schools worldwide have merited AACSB International accreditation, which is regarded as the hallmark of excellence in management education and can take years to achieve.

"I congratulate Dean Sullivan and the faculty, staff and students at the Rady School," said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. "This accreditation speaks volumes about the quality of academic programs, and the amazing people—pioneers, trailblazers and innovators—who have shaped the history and future of the school, and contributed to its tremendous success."

Added Rady School founding Dean, Robert S. Sullivan, "The Rady School has met the rigorous standards established by AACSB International and earned our place among the world's most prestigious business schools. Earning AACSB International initial accreditation as a young school is an incredible testament to the exceptional quality of our faculty and our academic programs. It is also a testimony to the extraordinary generosity of the San Diego community and the school's benefactors."

The founding of the Rady School was the culmination of a partnership between UC San Diego and the business community aimed at providing the region's thriving science and technology industries with a continuous source of leaders with innovative management skills and an understanding of the discovery to market process. The majority of funding for the Rady School came from a naming gift from philanthropists Ernest and Evelyn Rady. Additional gifts were provided by Betty and J. Robert Beyster, Tanya and Charles Brandes, Roberta and Malin Burnham, Pauline and Stanley Foster, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Carol and William Stensrud and other donors. Ernest Rady is also a major contributor to San Diego's innovative Rady Children's Hospital.

"My family and I are very proud to be associated with the miraculous creation of this school and the outstanding job that Dean Sullivan and his associates have accomplished," said Ernest Rady.

Receiving news of the Rady School's accreditation, Mayor Jerry Sanders commented, "Since its inception, the Rady School has had a positive impact on economic growth in San Diego by educating leaders who transform innovative ideas into companies, creating jobs for San Diegans."

Dean Sullivan explained that AACSB International accreditation will help contribute to the growth of business leaders in San Diego.

"Our core curriculum coupled with the unique discovery to market hands-on experience required of our students has made the Rady School attractive to leaders in growth industries," said Sullivan. "AACSB International accreditation allows us to recruit the best and brightest students and faculty to continue to provide San Diego with the most innovative business leaders."

The first MBA students arrived at the Rady School in the fall of 2004 and, as Rady alumni, have already had an important influence on developing new companies and organizations that are critically important to the future. Alumnus Martin Sabarsky ('06) is president and chief executive officer of Cellana Inc., a biofuel company headquartered in San Diego. Alumna Beth Anne Baber ('09) established The Nicholas Conor Institute for Pediatric Cancer Research (TNCI), an organization that facilitates the translation of laboratory results into effective treatments for childhood cancers. Current student Dan Norton ('12) and team members from UC San Diego Medical Center and the Sanford Burnham Institute founded NeuroMap LLC. NeuroMap is developing an innovative stem cell-based technology that will accurately predict a patient's therapeutic response to antidepressants, helping doctors customize therapies.

Building on the success of its MBA, Ph.D. and undergraduate programs, the Rady School continues to expand its academic business programs and fulfill its mission to educate innovative leaders who contribute to the growth of new businesses and economic prosperity.  

Partnering with UC San Diego Health Sciences, the Rady School has developed a health sciences focused MBA curriculum that supports the educational and professional development needs of leaders in the rapidly changing health care sector.  The curriculum focuses on the application of innovative technologies to the delivery of health care and the translation of new scientific and medical research to commercial viability.  

"AACSB International initial accreditation clearly adds immense value to a Rady School of Management degree," said Sullivan. "It is a value not only for current students, alumni and future graduates, but also for UC San Diego and our community. "The Rady School was founded by business leaders as an investment in San Diego's future. We are committed to fulfilling their vision and as with all good investments the Rady School will grow over time. Accreditation is an incredible milestone, but it is just the beginning for the Rady School of Management."  

About the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego

The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego educates global leaders for innovation-driven organizations. A professional school within UC San Diego, one of the top-ranked institutions in the U.S. for higher education and research, the Rady School offers a Full-Time MBA program, a FlexMBA program for working professionals, a Ph.D. program, and undergraduate and executive education courses. Visit www.rady.ucsd.edu for more information.

SOURCE University of California, San Diego

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