Credentials Hot-Button Issue at Area Universities

By GEORGE HOHMANN

Question a schools credentials especially in the wake of the Heather Bresch degree scandal at West Virginia University and youll set off a firestorm. Thats what happened last week after Marshall University issued a press release about a hooding ceremony in Charleston for 15 graduates of its Executive Master of Business Administration program. The press release contained one volatile sentence: The Marshall University program is the only accredited EMBA offered in the Kanawha Valley. That prompted an objection from Tim Terman, director of public relations and communications at West Virginia Universitys College of Business and Economics. Its the WVU College of Business and Economics EMBA program thats been in the spotlight lately. An independent panel concluded last month that WVU administrators gave Bresch an EMBA degree she didnt earn. Bresch is chief operating officer of generic drug maker Mylan Inc. and the daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin. Terman pointed out that The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has accredited WVUs business programs. The AACSB is the leading accreditation group in the country, Terman e-mailed. And, as you may know, our EMBA comes to Charleston via distance education technology. A correction would be appropriate. When Bill Bissett heard that the Daily Mail was planning to publish a correction, he got on the phone to object. Bissett is chief of staff and senior vice president for communications at Marshall University. Bissett said he had double- checked the accuracy of his press release. We are the only accredited EMBA program in the Kanawha Valley! Bissett e-mailed. Where would they teach their program? When informed that WVU has used a distance-learning lab in Kanawha City for its EMBA program since 1995, Bissett consulted with others at Marshall and issued the following clarification: The Marshall University Executive MBA program is the only AACSB accredited EMBA program physically located in the Kanawha Valley providing face-to-face interaction with professors and peers in every course. The clarification went on to label the AACSB accreditation as the gold standard for business schools worldwide and the hallmark of excellence in management education. . . That explains the accreditation status of the business programs at Marshall and WVU, but does not address the status of the EMBA program at the University of Charleston. When Robert Bliss, director of the University of Charlestons program, was asked, he said the American Council on Education, the Southern Regional Education Board and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools have accredited the program. Told of this, Terman at WVU objected that neither the American Council on Education nor the Southern Regional Education Board are accrediting agencies. The council provides a voice on higher education issues and seeks to influence public policy. The education board works to improve pre-K through postsecondary education in 16 states. When asked for clarification, Ed Welch, president of the University of Charleston, replied. The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools has accredited all three universities, he said. In addition to that, WVU and Marshall have said they want a specialized accreditation for their business programs, Welch said. We are doing the same thing for our School of Pharmacy. We have chosen not to seek the AACSB accreditation for our business programs because what we want to do in our business programs is gear student learning toward the needs and skills expected by people in the business world. Our focus is on outcomes-based learning, for which we have a national reputation, more so than on the inputs to learning, Welch said. The AACSB is great at pushing high standards for faculty and institutions. Those standards are academic and scholarly and include, for example, how much published research faculty members do in peer-reviewed journals; how much financial support is available for applied faculty research; and what percentage of instruction is delivered by PhDs. Our focus is less on the input of a particular faculty credential or using faculty members time for writing scholarly articles than it is on helping students learn the knowledge and skills they need to be successful after graduation, Welch said. We believe our students will be every bit if not better prepared for real-world experiences as the graduates of WVU and Marshall.

Originally published by DAILY MAIL BUSINESS EDITOR.

(c) 2008 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.