On June 5, the Business School hosted Professor Amy Zeng, Dean of the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University in the United States and an official AACSB accreditation mentor, for the inaugural virtual mentor session, during which she provided expert guidance on advancing the School’s AACSB accreditation process. The Business School’s leadership team, along with department and program heads and all members of the International Accreditation Office, attended the session. The session was chaired by Assistant Dean Xu Zhengda.

Fan Jiangtao, Party Secretary of the Business School, delivered a welcome address, extending sincere appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to Professor Amy Zeng for her role as mentor for the School’s AACSB international accreditation initiative.

Subsequently, Dean He Yurun of the Business School delivered a comprehensive presentation to Professor Amy Zeng, outlining the institution’s overall profile. Covering key areas such as academic program structure, faculty development, disciplinary planning, student development framework, and institutional resource support, Dean He provided a detailed account of the School’s current achievements and strategic strengths, thereby establishing a solid foundation for future in-depth dialogue and collaborative engagement.

Assistant Dean Xu Zhengda presented an update on the progress of the School’s AACSB accreditation efforts and outlined the follow-up strategy during the session. He highlighted the recent implementation of Assurance of Learning (AOL) initiatives at the School and, in light of challenges encountered in practical execution, proactively sought expert guidance from Professor Amy Zeng.

Professor Amy Zeng commended the Business School for its significant progress achieved in the AACSB international accreditation process.Drawing on her extensive experience in accreditation, Professor Zeng offered a series of constructive and targeted recommendations for the upcoming accreditation process. She emphasized that AACSB accreditation serves not only as an evaluation of the School’s current academic standards, but also as a key driver for continuously enhancing educational quality and international impact. She expressed her commitment to maintaining close collaboration with the School’s leadership, faculty, and administrative staff to ensure the successful advancement of the accreditation initiative.

In her concluding remarks, Dean He Yurun once again extended her heartfelt appreciation to Professor Amy Zeng for her expert guidance. She emphasized that the Business School will leverage the AACSB accreditation as a strategic opportunity to further advance its internationalization agenda with unwavering commitment, continuously enhancing its global influence and competitiveness, and thereby effectively supporting the deep implementation of the university’s “integration of business and industry” strategy. The School will systematically review and implement the recommendations provided by Professor Zeng, and remain fully committed to advancing the next phase of the accreditation process.

The Business School successfully submitted its application for AACSB Eligibility Assessment (EA) in November 2024 and has officially entered the accreditation process. The successful convening of this mentor session provided valuable guidance for the systematic advancement of the School’s international accreditation efforts, facilitating the timely identification and resolution of challenges encountered during the process, and establishing a strong foundation for the effective progression of future accreditation activities.