On the afternoon of May 30, the Symposium for AACSB Member Institutions in Northwest China was successfully held in Meeting Room 315 at the School of Management, Xi'an Jiaotong University. Dr. Li Zhengfeng, Director of the International Accreditation and Cooperation Office at IBS, along with accreditation officers Tian Zhiya and Yang Boshan, attended the meeting. The symposium specially invited Dr. Geoff Perry, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Director for Asia Pacific at AACSB, and Mr. Xu Guodong, Head of AACSB East Asia, to deliver reports and participate, attracting over 20 academic and industry colleagues from more than ten universities and enterprises across Northwest China for discussion and exchange.

The symposium began with a welcome address by Professor Feng Gengzhong, Dean of the School of Management at Xi'an Jiaotong University. Subsequently, Dr. Geoff Perry, Executive Vice President of AACSB, delivered an insightful lecture titled "Benchmarking Against Global Standards, Building a Distinctive International Business School." He stated that AACSB serves not only as an engine driving institutions toward internationalization and enhancing their global competitiveness but also helps institutions establish an "internally driven" framework for continuous improvement and enhancement. Dr. Perry emphasized that being member-centric and improving the quality and impact of member institutions is the mission of AACSB accreditation. Achieving positive social impact for member institutions in their respective fields and regions requires the joint efforts of AACSB accreditation and the institutions themselves.

Next, Mr. Xu Guodong, Head of AACSB East Asia, provided an in-depth analysis of the current status of AACSB accreditation among Chinese universities and detailed the AACSB accreditation standards and process. He mentioned that the Ministry of Education continues to place greater emphasis on enhancing the international influence of universities and promoting international accreditation. AACSB is also actively exploring collaborative pathways with the Ministry of Education, striving to gain official recognition and adoption in China, thereby bringing more tangible and significant development benefits to AACSB-accredited institutions.

During the final sharing session, IBS accreditation officer Tian Zhiya, on behalf of the college, introduced and shared the experiences and practices gained during the past six years of AACSB work and the accreditation process at IBS. She stated that the college's AACSB accreditation efforts are now in the final sprint stage. On the path of implementing AACSB international standards, the college is promoting continuous improvement in business education through evaluation, connecting with global business school and industry-academia collaboration networks, and fostering the steady international development of the college.

About AACSB:

AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) is the world's oldest and most authoritative accrediting body for business schools. Founded in 1916 by 16 leading institutions including Harvard University and Columbia University, its accreditation is renowned for its rigorous standards and continuous improvement mechanisms, widely regarded as the "gold standard" for business education quality. Currently, only about 6% of business schools worldwide have earned this accreditation, and as of 2025, only 51 institutions in Mainland China are listed.