Kappa Beta Delta Student Leadership Conference - June 27 - June 29

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ACBSP Conference 2007 - June 29 - July 2

June 27 – July 2, 2007, Orlando, Florida was the site of the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) 2007 Annual Conference.  The Kappa Beta Delta (Honorary International Organization of ACBSP) Student Leadership Conference was the initial component of the conference (June 27 – 29).  The students in attendance were Charles W. Gakumo, Niketa Coleman, and Clifton Hickman.  The students and advisor (Ms. Alfreda King) participated in workshops involving team building, leadership, and global business. 

Further, Charles Gakumo was the recipient of the 2007 Andrew V. Stevenson Scholarship Award.  Mr. Gakumo, a member of Lawson State's Psi Chapter of Kappa Beta Delta (KBD) International Honor Society for Business, received a $1000 from funds donated to honor the memory of Andrew V. Stevenson.  He was also introduced at the general session of the Association of College Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) on Friday, June 29, 2007.  One of the keynote speakers, was Cynthia Cooper, CPA, 2004 AICPA Hall of Fame Inductee.  She was responsible for revealing corporate fraud and illegal and unethical accounting practices at WorldCom.  

In addition, Ms. Niketa Coleman, LSCC's local president, was elected President of the national Kappa Beta Delta.  She now serves as a student representative to the Board of Directors.

The students also had opportunities to fellowship and visit the Disney Theme Parks.

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Dr. Alice Tyler Milton, Associate Dean of the Business and Information Technologies Division and Ms. Alfreda King, KDB Advisor, attended the ACBSP Conference 2007 (June 29 – July 2).  Thou one of the ACBSP representatives attend the Conference yearly, this year’s conference was very special to us because the Business and Information Technologies Division received their reaffirmation.  Our next reaffirmation is 2017.  We feel that this is quite an honor.  A lot of work has been done by the Division and College toward this accomplishment.

ACBSP is the premier accrediting association for business schools and programs with a focus on teaching excellence. In contrast to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) which has a focus on research excellence, ACBSP is focused on what occurs in the classroom while encouraging scholarly research. This is apparent in the standards and criteria for accreditation, the membership structure which includes membership by all persons involved in delivery of business education, our conference sessions, and our special initiatives.

In contrast to the International Association for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), ACBSP is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The CHEA-recognized scope of accreditation is: Degree programs in business and business-related fields at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels. This permits institutions to be recognized for the accreditation of their business programs in resources such as the Higher Education Directory, the CHEA Web site, and in a host of other publications 

ACBSP is the only accrediting body to offer accreditation to associate degree institutions. The value of membership by community colleges is the opportunity for articulation to be enhanced, the networking which occurs and leads to increased recruiting opportunities for both parties and, the offering of a program that these institutions would otherwise not be able to receive.

ACBSP encourages and facilitates dual accreditation. An accelerated process exists for institutions that are accredited by AACSB or IACBE to obtain ACBSP accreditation. This provides these institutions the distinct marketing advantage of being accredited by two organizations. For AACSB institutions this is the opportunity to be recognized for teaching excellence and research excellence. For IACBE institutions, it is the opportunity to be accredited by an organization that is recognized by CHEA and still maintain loyalty to the organization that first granted accreditation to their program.

ACBSP membership is composed of Educational Institution members and corporate members. Educational Institution members may be accredited, candidates for accreditation, or members.

The Division is presently devising even newer innovative courses that will place its students at the forefront of the workforce in Accounting, Business, Computer Science, Office Administration, Real Estate, and IT Certifications.  All of our new projects will be posted on our web site:  http://www.acatt.org/BIT/index_BIT.html.

Each year, our students compete at the PBL State and National Conferences.  The experience alone exposes them to the many challenges that they will face in the workforce and enhances their skills and confidence in knowing the that they are well prepared.  It is quite a learning and enjoyable ability.