Accreditation & Ranking Impact with AACSB

As the world changes rapidly, higher education is under growing pressure to evolve. Accreditation bodies and ranking institutions are increasingly recognizing the need to prioritize societal impact, social responsibility, and the holistic skills students need to lead in a complex world. PRME launched a new webinar series to explore these changes, bringing together leaders from ranking and accreditation bodies, as well as PRME Signatory institutions to hear their firsthand experience.

Introduction

The final session of the Accreditation & Ranking Impact webinar series brought together an insightful panel to discuss how business schools are rethinking quality, innovation, and leadership in response to global disruptions and shifting societal expectations. Hosted by PRME, this conversation featured:

• Eileen McAuliffe, Executive Vice President, Chief Thought Leadership Officer & Managing Director, AACSB

• Alex Hope, Deputy Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law, Northumbria University

• Meredith Storey, Senior Manager, PRME

Together, they examined how the AACSB framework supports agility, impact, and inclusive excellence across business education—and what institutions can do to lead into the future.

Redefining Quality: Agility, Impact, and Purpose

In today’s environment, traditional definitions of quality based on research productivity or rankings alone are no longer sufficient. The panelists stressed that educational quality must reflect a school’s agility, adaptability, and its ability to foster ethical leadership. Eileen McAuliffe shared how AACSB’s expectations now include measuring the use of innovative teaching methods and curriculum design that respond to diverse learner needs and societal imperatives.

“AACSB-accredited institutions are expected to demonstrate agility, especially in how they design their curricula and adopt innovative teaching methods. This agility extends beyond the classroom to include engagement in impactful research that delivers tangible societal outcomes, allowing schools to clearly demonstrate and evidence their contributions to society.” – Eileen McAuliffe

Leading with Innovation and Experiential Learning

In discussing how accreditation bodies were shifting away from traditional research to incorporate more societal impact, experiential learning, and innovation, panelists highlighted the importance of experiential learning as a tool to foster critical thinking, empathy, and creativity in future leaders. VR simulations, challenge-based learning, and interdisciplinary projects are becoming staples of forward-looking programs. Alex Hope emphasized that these methods also offer a unique advantage in the age of AI, where authentic, human-driven experiences cannot be replicated by technology.

“One of our key university strategies is [offering] experiential learning [opportunities] to every student, which will leave [them] with a real world experience, and partnering with local businesses there to kind of bring in real world problems which generally tend to be around societal and SDG-related challenges which involve consumers working together to solve those problems, or to try to come with solutions and really have them to think about it.” – Alex Hope

Fostering Community to Support Purpose-Driven Leadership

Panelists emphasized that strong community connections - within institutions and across networks are critical to shaping business education that serves society. As schools navigate complex societal expectations, building alignment among educators, administrators, and partners can help reinforce purpose-driven leadership and long-term impact. Meaningful change requires shared values, open dialogue, and collaboration that centers learners and the world they influence.

“Community and connectedness… it’s not about us, it’s about the learners and the future leaders we hope to educate to make a societal impact.” – Eileen McAuliffe

Final Thoughts

This session underscored that quality in business education is no longer static—it must reflect responsiveness to global crises, the evolving role of business in society, and the real needs of students and communities. AACSB’s alignment with PRME’s focus on sustainability and responsible leadership offers institutions a supportive framework to innovate and lead. As Meredith noted, PRME continues to provide spaces and tools that nurture those “roots”—the early, often unseen work that eventually yields measurable impact in accreditation, rankings, and real-world outcomes. Together, PRME and AACSB are helping redefine excellence as purpose-driven, inclusive, and agile.