Photo of the workshop venue
On December 1, SEM successfully held the AACSB Initial Accreditation Journey workshop. The one-day workshop invited Dr. Geoff Perry, Executive Vice President and Chief Officer of Asia Pacific, Americas, and Membership of AACSB, and Mr. Guodong Xu, Head of East Asia. Dr. Perry served as the keynote speaker. The workshop aimed to help faculty and staff gain an in-depth understanding of AACSB’s faculty qualification classification standards and the Assurance of Learning (AoL) system, to master key implementation pathways and effective methods, and to further strengthen the foundation for SEM’s continuous advancement of AACSB international accreditation.
More than 40 participants attended the workshop, including Party Secretary Li Xinchun, Dean Ding Zhihua, Associate Dean Wang Delu (Research), Associate Dean Jiang Hongyan (Teaching), Associate Dean Ran Hongtao (Administration), discipline leaders, department directors, heads of administrative offices, key faculty members in curriculum development, and members of the International Accreditation Office.
In his opening remarks, Dean Ding Zhihua extended a warm welcome to AACSB experts Dr. Geoff Perry and Mr. Guodong Xu, and fully acknowledged the continuous efforts of SEM’s faculty and staff in the accreditation work. He pointed out that AACSB, as an authoritative global accreditation system for business education, not only provides SEM with an important platform for international benchmarking but also systematically drives SEM’s reflection on its mission and vision, the optimization of its talent cultivation model, and the improvement of its governance system. Dean Ding emphasized that he looks forward to in-depth exchanges with the experts through this workshop, to further clarifying SEM’s development direction, forging consensus, and injecting momentum into the high-quality advancement of accreditation and long-term development. In the face of a rapidly changing business environment, SEM will take AACSB accreditation as an opportunity to deepen global cooperation, cultivate high-level management talents with international vision, innovation capability, and social responsibility, and steadily move toward a new stage of higher quality and greater impact.
Address by Dean Ding Zhihua
During the morning session of the workshop, accreditation expert Dr. Geoff Perry focused on the key topic of “Standard 3: Faculty Classification” in the AACSB accreditation standards. Starting from the standard requirements, he systematically explained the classification logic, criteria, and supporting material requirements for various types of faculty (including SA, PA, SP, and IP). He also analyzed the main challenges that may arise during implementation and offered targeted suggestions based on the actual situation of SEM. His explanations combined theoretical depth with practical guidance, providing a clear direction for optimizing faculty structure and advancing classification management.
In the afternoon, Dr. Perry continued with a detailed interpretation of another core topic, “Standard 5: Assurance of Learning (AoL).” He elaborated on the conceptual framework, operational structure, and closed-loop process of AoL, covering key steps from learning objective setting to outcome assessment. He also facilitated a thematic discussion based on the Course Map. Through case analysis and interactive discussion, he effectively clarified common misunderstandings and provided important references for SEM to refine its learning assurance system and establish a continuous improvement mechanism.
During the final interactive feedback session, participating faculty members actively shared their insights from the workshop and expressed their views on SEM’s future development direction. They also raised a series of practical questions based on their work. Dr. Perry responded to each question with detailed and professional answers. The on-site discussion was in-depth and lively.
The successful hosting of this workshop not only demonstrates SEM’s firm belief in international benchmarking and pursuit of excellence but also injects new momentum into SEM’s efforts to deepen its internal development and improve the quality of education. SEM will take this workshop as an opportunity to continue optimizing its disciplinary system and talent cultivation mechanisms, further enhance governance effectiveness and international influence, and steadily move toward the development goal of becoming a distinctive and first-class Business School in China.
Group photo
Writer: He Junna
Photography: Zhou Yan
First Review: Wang Bangjun
Second Review: Ding Zhihua
Final Review: Li Xinchun
