Greetings From Dean Maxfield – January 2023

Dear Friends,

Our first update of 2023 brings the opportunity to highlight the news of AACSB International’s reaccreditation of the Providence College School of Business. Meeting AACSB’s high standards requires the commitment of the entire PCSB faculty and staff, and we draw a great deal of collective satisfaction from that organization’s affirmation of our status among the top business schools in the world. This is our second reaccreditation on a five-year cycle, following initial accreditation in 2013.

As you might expect, the reaccreditation process is extensive. It involves a comprehensive review across the range of our operations, with a particular focus on AACSB’s “three pillars” – engagement, innovation, and impact. The assessment includes a review of the school’s vision, mission, strategic plans, and curriculum, and a site visit gives experts from the academic business community the opportunity to take a close look at day-to-day life, including classroom teaching and learning. 

I am grateful beyond words to my faculty and staff colleagues – including many from departments and programs outside PCSB – who helped us make the case for reaccreditation. In addition to realizing the immediate goal, the process causes a necessary focus on ensuring quality and continuously improving – the fundamental expectation of the AACSB. It is a heavy lift, but one that we all embrace because we know how important it is, especially to our current students, our future students, and our alumni.

Thanks to our superb faculty, staff, and students – in addition to the support we enjoy from our alumni and others – I am confident we will have an even better story to tell when it comes time for AACSB’s next review five years from now.

We are off to an excellent start in the spring semester, with our students fully engaged in their classes, co-curricular activities, and cheering for our nationally ranked Friars. By the time of my next update, in early April, we will be hurtling toward commencement and the celebration of the Class of 2023. Until then, best wishes and my sincere thanks for your continued interest in the Providence College School of Business.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Maxfield, Ph.D.
Dean