Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST) recently received a letter from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) notifying that it has officially passed the AACSB Continuous Improvement Review (CIR). STUST is the only accredited private university of science and technology in Taiwan. In May 2017, STUST passed the AACSB Accreditation for the first time, becoming the third of more than 90 universities of science and technology in Taiwan to have passed this world class accreditation. The other two were National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. Of the business schools worldwide, only 8% have pass the AACSB certification; therefore, the College of Business, STUST, has been ranked first for four consecutive years among the universities of science and technology nationwide, according to the list of the "Best Universities in Taiwan—Humanities, Law, and Business" by Global Views Monthly.

[The College of Business, STUST, has successively passed the AACSB Accreditation: President Deng-Maw Lu (middle of the first row) and Vice President De-Kuang Chou (right 2nd of the first row) took a group photo with all the executives of the college.]

AACSB has been established for nearly 100 years. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of global business management education. The organization currently has more than 1,500 members in more than 100 countries around the world. Its accreditation is recognized as the most trustworthy and the highest-level international business education certification. According to the current regulations of the Ministry of Education, schools and colleges that have passed the AACSB accreditation can be exempt from the evaluation regularly conducted by the Ministry of Education. Deng-Maw Lu, President of STUST, pointed out that the universities in Taiwan that have passed the AACSB accreditation are mainly a few research-oriented national and private universities whose performances have been affirmed by the Ministry of Education's top university program. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to pass the AACSB accreditation. These high-quality universities are operated in accordance with higher standards than the evaluation of the Ministry of Education. The acquisition of AACSB certification by the College of Business, STUST, was not meant for avoiding the evaluation of the Ministry of Education; rather, it focused on becoming able to reach the highest international platform in the future, in order to exchange with and learn from world class universities. As a result, graduates from STUST can be recognized and valued worldwide and given better opportunities to have a successful career development.

[The College of Business, STUST, was taking the CIR of AACSB.]

Dean Ruey-Hsing Chang of the College of Business, STUST, said that at present universities are greatly affected by the declining birthrate of Taiwan, but the College of Business still keeps 9 departments, 2 degree programs, 7 graduate institutes with 1 doctoral program and 2 research centers. Currently with approximately 6,400 students enrolled, it is one of the largest business schools in Taiwan. It is obvious that STUST has strong market competitiveness and is recognized by all sectors and industries. The doctoral program, GMBA Programs, as well as the international business program and international finance program of the College of Business are all taught in English.

According to Vice President De-Kuang Chou, an important promoter of AACSB accreditation when he was still the dean of the College of Business, the real goal of STUST's active promotion of campus internationalization is to cultivate students with an international perspective, familiarity with multicultural situations, and good English communication skills. Still, entrepreneurship education is also the focus of the current strong promotion. Through campus internationalization and entrepreneurship education, STUST will develop into a high-quality university, creating for Taiwan a new generation that can be internationally competitive.

盧校長表示，AACSB認證歷經的期程很長，要President Deng-Maw Lu said that the AACSB accreditation covers a long period of time, with standards that are not only high but also comprehensive. The evaluation scope includes a school's philosophy and strategic planning, resource investment, teacher quality, research level, teaching quality assurance system, curriculum planning, student employment and achievements, etc. It took a lot of hard work for the College of Business to pass the AACSB accreditation, reviewing and improving itself in accordance with each evaluation standard before it could challenge the highest level of global business management education certification. This has shown STUST’s determination to run for excellence, look to the world, and move toward the top.