I am happy to welcome you to the 1st issue of the Quality Services (QS) Newsletter which will be sent 3 times a year and aims to inform you of progress in our efforts to improve business schools quality through our integrated portfolio of services: EQUIS, EPAS and DAF.

With EQUIS we provide an increasingly valued incentive for schools to show that they excel in many areas, as well as a tool for assessment and improvement of quality that is consciously demanding. It is the QS service targeted at leading international business schools that are already doing a good overall job and even excel in some areas. They know that excellence needs to be improved in a rapidly changing and highly competitive environment and see EQUIS as a service to assist them by providing an external challenge and an agenda for change. In our continued endeavour to add value, we are currently fine tuning a “Customised Re-accreditation” process to be offered as an alternative, but equally demanding, approach for schools that have already received 5-year EQUIS accreditation three consecutive times. We informed the network about this during the QS Seminar that preceded the last EFMD Deans and Directors meeting and we expect that in 2013 the system will be applied to a number of qualifying pilot schools.
 
With EPAS we provide a very rigorous assessment of one of the core activities of any business school: its degree programmes. We have learned through EPAS that excellence in degree programme quality is less common than it may seem, even in leading schools. Since EQUIS accredited schools cannot, regrettably from my personal point of view, benefit from EPAS, it has become the de facto preferred accreditation option of those schools that because of strategic choice, environmental circumstances, or development paths, cannot currently satisfy all of the EQUIS requirements. However, they can successfully prove that they are able to excel in the fundamental role of education that a degree programme represents. In addition, EPAS facilitates the learning necessary for schools to successfully but gradually spread quality to all of their programmes and other activities, and in due course aim for EQUIS if it fits their strategy. EPAS is currently focusing on its expansion outside Europe with solid and secure steps.
 
Finally, DAF is the quality improvement tool for those that are not currently interested in or do not fit or qualify yet for EQUIS or EPAS. DAF provides assessment, recommendations for improvement and mentorship to any school in development, coming from both developing or developed countries, that shows credible and serious concern for its quality improvement. EFMD will help schools in developing countries to go through DAF by channeling funding from EFMD itself and from other organizations. Schools that can afford to pay for DAF will do so to make the service sustainable. In the coming months 5 schools will go through DAF in its pilot phase. Support and interest for DAF show that it will no doubt soon become one of our most valuable services.
 
This set of services, in line with EFMD's mission, is considered to be able to provide an integrated, distinctive and adapted path for business schools around the world that, while at different stages in their development, are all committed to quality improvement in business and management education.  We hope that you, like us, are able to see and appreciate the great value that EQUIS, EPAS and DAF provide collectively and individually each, in its own distinctive way. Thanks for your continued support of EFMD and the international network.

Prof. Dr. Julio Urgel, Director, EFMD Quality Services

Click here for an overview of the Quality Services seminars being organised over the next 6 months.

The first business school has been formally accepted into EFMD’s new Deans Across Frontiers (DAF) system and its Evaluation Review will take place in mid October 2012. A number of other schools will have their eligibility applications reviewed at the DAF Committee meeting in May.

The intention is to have five pilot schools within a 12-month period. The pilot schools are mainly located in Africa and the MENA region. Towards the end of 2012 and into 2013 we will be putting together peer review teams and seeking mentors for the pilot schools.

The DAF Evaluation Criteria document and the DAF Process Manual have now been approved by the DAF Committee. These documents will be used for the pilot schools and may be revised during 2012 in the light of experience and comments received. EFMD is providing start-up resources (staff and office support) for DAF plus some support for schools needing financial assistance. Funding will also be sought from other sources. In the longer term there may be a balance between revenues from paying schools and costs of non- or partially-paying schools. The system should eventually be self-funding.

For further information see www.efmd.org or please contact us via email on daf@efmd.org

Note to Editors
Deans Across Frontiers (DAF) is a further endeavour by EFMD to raise the standard of management education worldwide. It aims to assist business schools to develop further through mentoring an institution’s senior management team. As with EFMD’s main accreditation systems (EQUIS and EPAS), the school will undergo a Self-Assessment and Peer Review Process. Following the assessment by a Peer Review Team to identify development areas, a business school will benefit from mentoring by an experienced former Dean for three years and will progress towards defined development objectives.

The EFMD Quality Services Department is happy to announce its seminar activities for the second half of 2012. In order to inform Business Schools and other stakeholders about EQUIS, EPAS and DAF, the EFMD Quality Services department offers different types of information events:

• Information sessions are targeted at Business Schools with little knowledge of EFMD accreditations and quality services
• Introductory seminars are targeted at Business Schools that consider EFMD accreditation or mentoring as an option, but have not decided yet if or when to start the process
• Regular seminars are targeted at schools that are accredited, eligible or schools that have the intention of starting either the EQUIS, EPAS or DAF process

For more information on the differences between these events please consult the framework for quality services events.  

The following information sessions are confirmed for the second half of 2012:

• Information session on EQUIS, EPAS and DAF in Ho Chin Minh Ville, Vietnam on 13 November

Further information sessions are planned to take place in Yokohama, Japan (September-October), Tiflis, Georgia (early October) and Moscow, Russia (last week of November).

The following Introductory Seminars are confirmed for the second half of 2012:

• Joint EPAS/DAF Introductory seminar in Nairobi, Kenya on 10 October (full day), (before the EFMD Africa conference)
• Introductory DAF seminar in Beirut, Lebanon on 6 November (after the EFMD MENA conference)
• Introductory EPAS accreditation seminar in Beirut, Lebanon on 7 November (after the EFMD MENA conference)
• Introductory EQUIS accreditation seminar in Beirut, Lebanon on 8 November (after the EFMD MENA conference)
• Joint EPAS/DAF Introductory seminar in Beijing, China on 30 November (half day), (after the CEIBS EFMD conference)
• Introductory EQUIS accreditation seminar in Beijing, China on 1 December (after the CEIBS EFMD conference)

Furthermore, the QS department plans to hold to an EPAS accreditation seminar and an EQUIS accreditation seminar in Madrid in October (Date TBC).

Practical information about registration, prices and logistics will be published on the EFMD website in due course.

The EPAS Accreditation Board has recently awarded the EPAS quality label to the following programmes -

• Curtin Graduate School of Business, Australia
  Master of Business Administration
  
  
• Shantou University Business School, China
  Bachelor in Business Administration
  
  
• School of Economics and Management, University of Cyprus, Cyprus
  MBA Programme
  
  
• Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic
  Master in International Trade 
  Master in International Business – Central European Business Realities
  
  
• Lappeenranta University of Technology School of Business, Finland
  MSc in International Marketing Management  
  
  
• Reykjavik University Business School, Iceland
  BSc in Business Administration
  
  
• Boston University Metropolitan College, USA
  Master of Science in Administrative Studies 
  Master of Science in Management (Online)
  
  
• Nathan Weiss Graduate College, Kean University, USA
  MBA in Global Management

“Many congratulations to the new schools that have received EPAS. We recognise programmes for successful internationalisation and are most demanding with our standards in the areas of academic rigour, corporate relevance and quality assurance,” said Prof Eric Cornuel, Director General and CEO of EFMD.

“The growing demand for EPAS accreditation clearly reflects the widespread need of business schools to assess the academic rigour and the professional effectiveness of their programmes, while simultaneously receiving public recognition for successful internationalization,” said Prof Ulrich Hommel, Associate Director of Quality Services at EFMD.

EPAS complements the already well-established EQUIS system, EFMD’s institutional accreditation service and was developed by EFMD in response to the many requests of its members to offer programme-level accreditations as well. The feedback from the market has been tremendously positive, which is clearly reflected by the EPAS numbers after only 6 years of regular operation. Currently with have 71 accredited programmes from 55 institutions in 24 countries.  28% of the total are (E)MBAs, 28% are Masters, 27% are Bachelors, 3% are Doctoral Programmes and 14% are non-Bologna country-specific programmes. For more information on EPAS visit www.efmd.org/epas

Quotes from the Schools

I am very delighted with the news that our Bachelor of Business Administration Program has achieved the prestigious EPAS accreditation from the EFMD. The EPAS accreditation affirms our strong commitment to undergraduate education. As elaborated by our Provost during the EPAS peer review visit, Advanced Undergraduate Education is a central theme of Shantou University in catalyzing higher education reform in China under the auspicious of the Li Ka-Shing Foundation. I am most grateful for the tremendous support from the Li Ka-Shing Foundation and other stakeholders. Indeed, the EPAS accreditation is not only a milestone of our internationalization effort but also a powerful drive for continuous improvement and reputation enhancement of our academic programs in the years coming.
Zongling Xu, Dean, Shantou University Business School

As the Dean of the School of Economics and Management of the University of Cyprus, I am truly pleased and honored to have gained the EPAS accreditation for our MBA Programme. This is a significant recognition of the quality of our MBA Programme and demonstrates the commitment of the University of Cyprus to achieve excellence in higher education. We also see this as an opportunity to  further enhance our graduate programmes in our strive to create global leaders with vision.
Haridimos Tsoukas, Dean, School of Economics and Management, University of Cyprus

By gaining EPAS accreditation, we have entered into a large family of the best business programmes offered by prestigious universities throughout the world! It is a great reward to all colleagues, who worked relentlessly towards this goal and a great value added to our students, present and future, which will get a degree comparable with that from the best schools. My congratulation must go to the team that prepared the programmes for accreditation and to all those, who worked throughout the years to bring the level of the programmes to a standard that match the very best.  
Stepán Müller, Dean, Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, Czech Republic

As the Dean of School of Business at Lappeenranta University of Technology, I am extremely pleased and honored that our efforts have been acknowledged by EFMD. We highly appreciate the membership in this unique network of business education professionals. This is an important milestone for our school and we are looking forward to being an active member in the EPAS family.
Jaana Sandström, Dean, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland

We are truly honored that the Accreditation Board has voted to make us one of the first programmes in the United States to receive EPAS accreditation.  It is a very proud day for our students, faculty, and staff. Our programme is focused on training global leaders and as a result, we could not be happier to have received such a global accreditation.
Steven Lorenzet, Dean, Nathan Weiss Graduate College, Kean University, USA

EFMD accreditation makes a statement about the Administrative Sciences Department as a quality global institution with an international vision. We found the European perspective interesting and helpful in evaluating our degree programs and mission as well as insightful in how best to serve our student’s needs.
Kip Becker, Chairman,
Administrative Sciences Department, Boston University Metropolitan College, USA

The EPAS accreditation is an important milestone for the Reykjavik University School of Business (RUSB).  This is the result of years of hard work and bears testimony to the high quality of the B.Sc. Programme in Business Administration. The EPAS process has already helped us improve the programme and the School shall continue to do so as we draw on the lessons learned. The School now has international accreditation of two of its key programmes – the Bachelor as well as the AMBA accredited Master of Business Administration. These are the only programs in business in Iceland to have achieved such recognition. The EPAS accreditation therefore both underscores and strengthens the unique position of RUSB in Iceland. The EPAS accreditation also creates numerous opportunities for strengthening the B.Sc. Programme and the School, especially as regards international aspects. We look forward to making use of these opportunities in the coming years.
Fridrik Mar Baldursson, Dean, Reykjavik University School of Business (RUSB)

The EPAS accreditation speaks to the excellence of the Curtin MBA program. It is a strong endorsement of our vision to become a major executive business school in the Asia-Pacific region. This is a fantastic way to start the year and will further support the strong growth in MBA enrolments that we have observed in recent years.
Alison Preston, Director, Curtin Graduate School of Business

EFMD will be organising EPAS & EQUIS Accreditation seminars in Hong Kong, hosted by The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Business and Economics. The seminars are being given by highly experienced accreditation Directors.

The EQUIS Accreditation Seminar will take place on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 (09:00 – 17:00) with the EPAS Accreditation Seminar being held on Wednesday, 25 April 2012 (09:00 – 17:00).

The seminars are designed for institutions considering applying for EPAS (the EFMD Programme accreditation system) or EQUIS (the European Quality Improvement System – whole school accreditation) or for those holding active eligibility in either system. During the seminars, participants well gain a deeper understanding of the EPAS or EQUIS accreditation systems. This is highly recommended for any School that wants to go through these accreditation exercises and the extra insights gained from the seminars might make all the difference towards achieving successful accreditation.

The seminars will cover the following areas:
•    The interpretation and practical application of the EPAS / EQUIS Standards and Criteria
•    Understanding the process as explained in the EPAS / EQUIS Manuals and Application Datasheets
•    The use of the key stages of the EPAS / EQUIS Accreditation processes for quality improvement
•    The preparation of an effective and informative Self-Assessment Report
•    The optimal timing of the EPAS / EQUIS Accreditation process

Do not miss this opportunity to explore and / or to get an update on EPAS or EQUIS.  The detailed programme for the seminars, practical information and online registrations forms is available here. Find out more about EPAS and EQUIS.

The Quality Services Office is happy to present the 2012 version of the EQUIS and EPAS Documents. Every year the Quality Services Department revises its documentation to improve the quality of its accreditation services. The revision includes changes to:

-    EQUIS Standards and Criteria
-    EQUIS Process Manual
-    EQUIS Process Manual Annexes
-    EPAS Process Manual
-    EPAS Process Manual Annexes
-    EPAS Standards and Criteria

Some of the key changes are:

•    A new annex on the provision of the distance learning programmes (EPAS)
•    Fundamental changes to the EPAS Doctoral criteria (EPAS)
•    A strengthening of aspects of academic learning (EPAS)
•    Revised Peer Review Visit Schedule Templates (EQUIS and EPAS)
•    Many minor improvements in the accreditation process (EQUIS and EPAS)

A new re-accreditation procedure for EQUIS Schools that received 5 year accreditation three consecutive times is currently being fine tuned. Since it will only be of application for the first time to a few schools in their reviews in 2013, it will be published as a separate document in March 2012. After this pilot testing, it will be incorporated to the EQUIS Process Manual in 2013.

For more detailed information, please consult the relevant lists of changes and the new versions of the documents on our website. Schools are advised to use the most recent version of the documents when preparing for the next step in the accreditation process.

Deans Across Frontiers (DAF) aims to assist Business Schools to develop further through mentoring of the institution’s Senior Management Team. DAF is the third service offered by the EFMD Quality Services Department that complements EQUIS and EPAS and as with the accreditation systems, the school will undergo a Self-Assessment and Peer Review Process. Following the assessment by the Peer Review Team, the School will benefit for a three-year period of mentoring by an experienced former Dean and will progress towards defined development objectives. The EFMD will assure the effectiveness of the process through systematic progress tracking.

EFMD has a mission to promote excellence in business and management education worldwide. This is partly fulfilled by its existing accreditation systems, EQUIS and EPAS, which are aimed at the very top schools. However, EFMD also has a social responsibility to support all levels of schools, whether they be members of EFMD or not. The launch of Deans Across Frontiers is the response to this need. Fees are charged for DAF but applications are invited for full or partial-funding scholarships on a case-by-case needs basis.

The spirit of DAF and especially the relationship between mentor and institution is one of mutual cooperation and learning.  The mentoring and evaluation of a School has to consider the educational, cultural and political environment in which the institution operates and to relate it to a wider international context. It is not the intention of DAF to promote any particular model of Business School, but to give contextualised assistance or advice.

The DAF Committee convened for the first time on 18 October and the system was presented in November at the EFMD Africa Conference in Cape Town and the EFMD MENA conference in Casablanca. The pilot phase has now been officially launched and the DAF office is happy to receive applications. As DAF is still at an early stage of development, individuals and institutions are invited to become involved with DAF as mentor, reviewer, donor or godfather institution.

If you are interested in DAF or have any questions please email Friedemann Schulze-Fielitz friedemann.schulze-fielitz@efmd.org

EFMD and Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University invite you to attend the first “China EFMD Accreditation Community Summit: How EQUIS and EPAS can improve your business school”, on December 16, 2011. The detailed agenda & programme is available here.

International accreditation has been one of the most important strategies for China’s business schools in their push to go global. Currently 12 business schools in China’s have been accredited by EQUIS and the first programme to receive EPAS accreditation has been recently announced. Both accreditations (that are managed by EFMD) have brought value, insight, quality improvement and quality assurance to the Chinese market.

Clearly great progress has been made but more can be done to bring the community of accredited schools closer together. Providing a platform to improve strategic cooperation and share common issues, whilst also working together to upgrade the management educational quality of Chinese business schools as a whole, has to be seen as a priority. A shared and common voice for Chinese management education, with the support of the leading schools and EFMD, sends a clear message to the management education community around the world that Chinese management education is united, forward-looking and of high quality. It is with this spirit that Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and EFMD feel compelled to initiate this event.

The Deans of the 12 EQUIS accredited business schools from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be invited to the summit. In addition, the other Chinese business schools on the path to EQUIS or EPAS will be invited, as will schools from across the Asia-Pacific who are taking their first steps in finding out more about accreditation and what is involved.

The Summit theme will be ‘How EQUIS/EPAS can improve your Business Schools’ and will include high-level presentations from EFMD on the standards and criteria for EQUIS & EPAS with the input of 4 senior Chinese Deans who will give a first-hand account of the accreditation process and the impact it has had on their schools and strategy. The Deans will also discuss a common problem, which is how to better integrate the accreditation standards with schools’ practices in the local environment.

The seminar is targeted at institutions considering applying for EQUIS & EPAS accreditation, those holding active eligibility or accredited schools wishing to get a better understanding about the system. It will be relevant for Deans and Directors, Associate Deans, Directors of major programmes, Directors of External Relations and Accreditation Officers.

If you have any question or need further information please contact our organization team (Antai college: international cooperation and exchange office by iceo@sjtu.edu.cn or by calling +86-21-52308227; EFMD: Business School Services Unit by mathias.falkenstein@efmd.org or by calling +32-26290810).

On 15 November and 16 November, EFMD is organising EPAS and EQUIS Accreditation seminars just after the EFMD conference in the MENA Region in Casablanca (Host: ESCA- Ecole de Management). The seminars will be led by two highly experienced accreditation directors at EFMD.

The seminars are designed for institutions considering applying for EPAS (the EFMD Programme accreditation system) or EQUIS (the European Quality Improvement System – whole school accreditation) or for those already holding active eligibility in either system. The aim of the seminars is to give participants a deeper understanding of the EPAS or EQUIS accreditation systems. This is highly recommended for any School that wants to go through these accreditation exercises and the extra insights gained from the seminars might make all the difference towards achieving successful accreditation.

The seminars will cover the following areas:

•    The interpretation and practical application of the EPAS / EQUIS Standards and Criteria
•    Understanding the process as explained in the EPAS / EQUIS Manuals and Application Datasheets
•    The use of the key stages of the EPAS / EQUIS Accreditation processes for quality improvement
•    The preparation of an effective and informative Self-Assessment Report
•    The optimal timing of the EPAS / EQUIS Accreditation process

Do not miss this wonderful opportunity to find out more about EPAS or EQUIS accreditation and the value it can bring to your school. Registrations are open and places are limited. Sign up for both seminars and profit from a reduced fee.

For more information on the accreditations processes visit - EPAS and EQUIS.