Newswise — How can students decide which business school best suits their needs when they all look the same? Joseph A. DiAngelo, Ed.D., dean of Saint Joseph's University's Haub School of Business in Philadelphia, wants new accreditation standards for business schools to be more flexible to encourage innovation and creativity.
"When the rules are too prescriptive, everything looks the same," says DiAngelo. "It's all vanilla. I want to see different flavors. We need more variety."
As the newly appointed chair of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest and most prestigious accreditor of international business education, DiAngelo is looking to embrace something many academicians fear — change.
"We need more passion for change in our industry, not change for change's sake, but change that truly reflects the direction of the global market," says DiAngelo.
Among his priorities as AACSB's 2012-2013 board chair is building the capacity of business schools in emerging economies, something he's witnessed first-hand during accreditation visits to Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. DiAngelo has faith that initiatives aimed toward supporting schools in emerging economies will diversify global business education while creating new jobs, strengthening existing industries and supporting economic development in these countries.
A former baseball coach, DiAngelo recognizes the value of a great team and routine training. Other priorities during his tenure include increasing the academic credentials of faculty and offering more development opportunities for new deans. He would also like to see undergraduate business programs provide students with more opportunities to study the liberal arts.
"At business schools, our job is not to produce 'businessocrats' who see the world in black and white," he says. "Rather, we should graduate well-rounded professionals who have a solid foundation in business and a deep knowledge of the world around them."
Since his arrival at Saint Joseph's as dean in 2000, the Haub School of Business has experienced unprecedented growth. Under DiAngelo's leadership, the school has doubled the size of its student body and is now the largest Jesuit business school in the United States. Prior to coming to Saint Joseph's, DiAngelo served as business school dean at Widener University where he led the school to AACSB accreditation.
Background: Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 152 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 4,650 traditional undergraduate day students, 700 College of Professional and Liberal Studies adult undergraduates, and 3,600 graduate and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, Saint Joseph's was named to the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.
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