Perceptions of the Future Impact of Revised AACSB Accreditation Standards for Accounting Faculty Qualifications and Engagement

• In Event: Codification and Accreditation

Abstract

The shortage of accounting faculty needed to meet Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) accreditation standards has been a concern for many years. One way in which the AACSB has sought to address this shortage is by recognizing the importance of practical experience in business research and education. The new AACSB standards on faculty qualifications allow up to twenty percent more practitioner faculty in the classroom than the 2003 AACSB standards. Using a survey, we examine differences in perceptions and attitudes of business school deans, accounting chairs and accounting faculty about the new 2013 faculty classifications. We find that faculty and administrators perceive practitioners and practitioner-related research needed to provide a desired diversity and relevancy in students’ education. However, increased recognition and reward of practitioner faculty is not positively perceived by tenured and tenure track faculty.

Authors

• Jenice J Prather-Kinsey, University of Alabama-Birmingham

• Arline Savage, University of Alabama-Birmingham

• Scott Boyar, University of Alabama at Birmingham