Letter from the Dean

Jones College continues on upward trajectory

The Jones College of Business is still moving forward briskly—its engine is firing on all cylinders, propelling the college to greater national prominence and regional dominance. The news and features in this issue include successes in attracting external support for our programs, a continued emphasis on preparing business-ready leaders for the real world, and meaningful outreach to the professional community.

In early 2021, AACSB International conducted a rigorous review of every aspect of Jones College’s engagement, innovation, and impact over the last five years. I am pleased to report that the board of directors of AACSB International voted to extend the Jones College accreditations in business and accounting for another five years as a result of that review. AACSB International is the premier accrediting body in business education worldwide. Less than 5% of the thousands of collegiate business schools in the world have AACSB business accreditation.

Jones College is one of only 189 collegiate business schools to have accreditation in both business and accounting. We estimate that this distinction puts Jones College in the top 1.4% of collegiate business schools worldwide.

Most gratifying was the following statement in the report of the AACSB reviewers: “The college and MTSU have made excellent progress since the last review (2016), and that upward trajectory is noticeable and commendable.”

Also, regarding accreditation, Jones College is very close to having its undergraduate degree program in Information Systems receive initial accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). At the same time that we prepared for the AACSB five-year review, we also underwent scrutiny from ABET for our Information Systems undergraduate program. The last few months have been busy, but the external validation for the quality of our programs is extremely rewarding.

Jones College programs continue to draw national attention. Of the 14 national rankings in the top 50 (or better) that our programs have received since 2016, eight have come in just the last two years.

Now that we are bringing our students back to campus in greater numbers due to the positive impact that vaccinations have had on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the students can take advantage of recent improvements to the Business and Aerospace Building, Jones College’s primary home. These include enhanced capabilities for video recording and streaming in our classrooms, as well as the John A. “Jack” Spann III Risk Management Lab and the I’m In! Accounting Success Lab.

We are very excited about the Tennessee Center for Economic and Free Enterprise Education (TCEFEE) and our new B.B.A. degree in Supply Chain Management. The new name of the TCEFEE, formerly the Center for Economic Education, emphasizes its unique position within our state in promoting pre-college economic and financial literacy.

Our Supply Chain program started in fall 2019 as a concentration in the B.B.A. in Management. Its rapid growth in response to market demand in the Greater Nashville region helped us fast-track the concentration to a standalone degree. We are examining the feasibility of doing the same thing with our Supply Chain concentration in the M.S. in Management— spinning it off into a separate M.S. in Supply Chain Management.

There’s much more to read about in the rest of this issue. As I complete my eighth year as Jones College dean, the future couldn’t be brighter!

David Urban, Dean, Jones College of Business