By Leilani Ku
The Desautels Faculty of Management has been granted the prestigious European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation for a five-year period by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).
EQUIS is an important global standard that serves as a testament to the strength of our Faculty’s programs, students, professors and staff. Very few first-time EQUIS applicants are awarded accreditation for five years. Desautels is now one of 142 top international schools in 39 countries accredited by the foundation. Management schools that are accredited by EQUIS demonstrate a high overall quality in all dimensions of their activities, as well as a high degree of internationalisation and close connections with the corporate world.
Accreditation was granted after more than one year of Faculty reporting and on-site audits from the EQUIS Peer Review Committee. The Committee commended Desautels for exceeding EQUIS standards in a number of areas related to internationalisation, student quality, research, programs, and corporate connections.
“Over the past years, the Desautels Faculty of Management has undergone a significant transformation, such as the redesign and creation of innovative international programs, the expansion of the professoriate, significant investments in career services, and major building renovations, just to name a few. Our students are truly among the very best in the world and our alumni continue to have a hugely positive influence in both business and society around the globe. We want to build on these strengths to become a top-10 business school in the world by 2020,” said Peter Todd, Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management. “The strategic review process required by EQUIS has helped our Faculty solidify the objectives and strategies that will help us get there.”