Warm congratulations to Kent Business School, University of Kent; Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami; Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis and Queen’s Management School, Queen’s University Belfast for their initial EQUIS accreditation.

We would like to sincerely congratulate five more business schools for successfully completing the EQUIS re-accreditation process and proving their commitment to global excellence in business education.

• University of Edinburgh Business School, University of Edinburgh
• Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
• Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen
• Melbourne Business School, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Melbourne
• University of Sydney Business School

Kent Business School, University of Kent

Kent Business School is one of the six academic divisions of University of Kent, a public institution in the UK. Kent Business School offers education programmes at undergraduate, master and doctoral level, on two campus locations in the southeast of England.

The school strives to combine research excellence with societal engagement and to make a positive impact on society. The institution’s commitment to ERS in connection with its societal engagement should be commended.

Marian Garcia, Dean of Kent Business School, said: ‘Here at Kent Business School, we are elated to be given the recognition of an accreditation from EFMD’s European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). The findings of the panel and subsequent validation of the school’s strive for excellence has endorsed our high standards in all areas – from teaching excellence to knowledge generation, research and innovation, and external engagement.’

‘We welcome the clarity that our latest accolade brings to our education, research and innovation offerings. Knowing that our school is in the top one per cent in the world is gratifying. As an institution, we are proud of the contribution we make to the global community and the bar that we set for those who teach, learn or work with us.’

Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami, United States

Founded in 1929, Miami Herbert Business School (MHSB) has a mission of developing innovative leaders that transform global business and society. The school is well-situated in Miami to support a strong international orientation and shows significant promise in this area.

MHSB is known for its strong ties to the community, with students spanning generations and an extensive network of loyal alumni. Students provide a very favourable account of their experiences at MHSB.

John Quelch, Dean of Miami Herbert Business School, attributed this recognition to the school’s continuous efforts in fostering global mindsets.

‘The mission of Miami Herbert Business School is to develop innovative ideas and principled leaders that transform global business and society,’ he said. ‘EQUIS accreditation offers yet more proof of our faculty, staff and student’s dedication to excel in the dynamic and interconnected world of business.

Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, United States

Olin Business School is a full-service business school in St. Louis, Missouri, offering degree programmes for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students, as well as Executive Education programmes. Olin is led strategically with a clear mission and vision.

Research is a strength of the school, and seven research centres support it. Olin’s faculty members are highly productive and enjoy strong success in top-ranked journals. The Financial Times ranked Olin ninth globally in terms of research performance.

‘On behalf of the entire WashU Olin community, we are honored by the EQUIS board’s decision to grant accreditation to our school,’ said Mark P. Taylor, dean of Olin Business School. ‘We are dedicated to empowering values-based, data-driven leaders in business, while driving path-breaking faculty research. The EQUIS decision affirms that we are what we say we are. We are also grateful for the flexibility of the EQUIS team as we navigated the process during this fraught time.’

Queen’s Management School, Queen’s University Belfast

Queen’s Management School at Queen’s University Belfast is a public institution with 22,000 students, and is part of a large, and one of the oldest established universities in the UK. The school is known for its Economics, Finance and Accounting expertise and it also runs management programmes.

Queen’s is committed to research, which is reflected in its mission, strategy, policies and culture. ERS is well addressed in the school, which is a part of PRME and runs a lot of initiatives, including ethical research. ERS topics are well embedded in modules and courses. The school should be praised for local (national) connections with practice, especially in the area of Accounting and Finance.

John Turner, Head of Queen’s Management School, commented on the recent success: ‘I am delighted that Queen’s Management School has been accredited through EFMD’s Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). The School’s mission to transform Northern Ireland’s business and society through our education and research is fundamental to the future stability and prosperity of Northern Ireland.’

‘Internationalisation of all our activities has been a key enabler of our mission as we seek to serve a country emerging from decades of conflict. Our faculty, who come from 20 different countries, are to be acknowledged for their fortitude, skill and dedication. We are grateful to EFMD for their guidance in our growth and quality improvement journey, and we look forward to working alongside other accredited Schools as we continue to grow our international network.’

EQUIS – EFMD Quality Improvement System

EQUIS is a rigorous tool for business schools to assess, accredit and improve their quality in ten key areas, benchmarking them against international standards in terms of governance, programmes, students, faculty, research, and foremost, internationalisation, ethics, responsibility and sustainability, as well as corporate engagement.

It offers not only a quality assessment but also a quality improvement process, very much rooted in the mission of EFMD. True quality is about continuing to strive to do better, even when you are already excellent, and this focus on continuous improvement is thus at the heart of the EQUIS mission.

EQUIS attaches particular importance to the creation of effective learning environments which foster students’ managerial and entrepreneurial skills alongside their personal development and sense of global responsibility.

There are currently 197 EQUIS accredited schools across 45 countries globally. More information is available on our website.