The University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration has completed its fifth-year review and maintained its business accreditation by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Less than 6 percent of business schools worldwide have earned this distinguished hallmark of excellence in management education from the organization, the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools offering undergraduate and graduate degrees.

To maintain accreditation, a business program undergoes a rigorous review every five years during which the school must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management and assurance of learning.

“It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation,” said Jerry Trapnell, chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students.”

UHV President Tim Hudson said he was pleased with the re-accreditation.

“AACSB is considered one of higher education’s most rigorous and prestigious accrediting bodies,” he said. “This achievement is a testimony to the quality of the leadership, faculty and staff of the School of Business Administration and their commitment to preparing students for competitive careers.”

Farhang Niroomand, who joined UHV as dean of the School of Business Administration just last summer, echoed these sentiments.

“The dedication and excellence of our faculty and staff made initial accreditation possible five years ago, and has garnered for us this continued recognition which assures students of our quality and enhances the market value of their education,” he said.

David McLarry, president of Wells Fargo Bank in Victoria and a member of the school’s Business Advisory Council, stressed the importance of this accreditation for the community.

“For Victoria to claim as its own a business school which belongs to such a select international group is quite a distinction and speaks highly of our community’s preparation to engage in the 21st century global economy,” he said.

The school received its initial accreditation by AACSB International in 2005. Since then, it has received numerous other recognitions. The Princeton Review rated the school No. 10 on its 2009 Most Family Friendly list and the 2010 No. 1 Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students. GetEducated.com has rated the school’s Bachelor of Business Administration as the No. 6 Online Bachelor’s Degree in Business Best Buy and its Global MBA as the No. 2 AACSB-accredited Distance MBA Best Buy. In addition, Fortune Small Business Magazine rated the school one of the top-five Best Online Entrepreneurial Schools in 2007.

UHV’s achievement will be recognized later this month at the 2010 AACSB International Conference and Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. The UHV School of Business Administration enrolls approximately 500 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students with programs offered in Victoria, Sugar Land and Katy, as well as online.

To learn more about the UHV School of Business Administration, visit www.uhv.edu/business/. To learn more about AACSB International accreditation, visit the accreditation section of the AACSB International Web site at www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/.