<p>I’ve read most of this forum and this matter of accreditation has captured my attention as I have a son very interested in studying business at HPU in 2014. So, I contacted the dean of the business school to ask why they are not accredited and if they plan to be? Here is his response, he replied within one hour: </p>
<p>“That is correct. We are members of AACSB but not accredited. AACSB standards have a significant focus on research. We are an applied, practical, teaching-oriented business program. So, our culture has not meshed with AACSB standards. If you or your son would like to talk about our business program, please feel free to give me a call. Alternatively, if you would like to visit with me, we can set up a time to meet. In the meantime, if I can answer any additional questions, please let me know.”</p>
<p>I myself have an MBA from Winthrop with an undergraduate degree from Belmont Abbey. I was curious and looked these schools up on the AACSB website. Winthrop is accredited and the Abbey is not. I feel I got an excellent education at Belmont Abbey in a small Catholic setting (I’m not Catholic) and Winthrop accepted me never asking about AACSB. Now this was 20 years ago, but I must say the I always fit in better in the small college setting and never fit in well in Winthrops larger, less personal classrooms, with large classes frequently taught by assistants. My son just happens to be just like Dad.</p>
<p>That being said, while I have concerns about the lack of accreditation I also appreciate the honest and fast response from the Dean. My son is has close to a 4.0GPA, good test grades, lots of community service and is a tennis player. He knows he wants to study business at a smaller school and is also interested in Elon, which we also visited. He is shy and quite and doesn’t make friends quickly, so I want him to feel comfortable where ever he decides to go because I can’t see him succeeding at any college if he didn’t fit in. I appreciate all the comments about “the right fit”, I’m not concerned about the comments here about the impressive ammentites. Yes, those are nice and the dorms are something he is concerned about as a kid who doesn’t party and not ready for a party college. He is most concerned about the library, dorms, and the school of business. He was delighted at the Mac computers and wall street ticker in the school of business and impressed by the board room. I could tell he would fit in pretty good at HPU or Elon after our visits to both. I was impressed that they offered free tutoring and are currently constructing a mega career center. </p>
<p>As a parent, the question is always for me how is he going to turn out when he gets of college? Will he be ready for the real world and have a compentent education that will serve him well in the business world? Any insights or advice on this topics are welcome!</p>