Short of AIM

by Victor C. Agustin
from The Manila Standard

THE Asian Institute of Management lost not just one but two international accreditations in the wake of the school’s controversial suspension of two leading professors.

In addition to the withdrawal of accreditation by the Belgium-based European Foundation for Management Development, the region’s first MBA school also lost almost simultaneously the accreditation extended by the US-based The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Organized in 1916, AACSB International is recognized as the premier accrediting agency for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in business administration and accounting in the United States. Its founding members include Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, New York University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, Tulane University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, The University of Texas, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Yale University.

According to the grapevine, AIM no longer sought to renew the American accreditation and allowed it to lapse this year after having been informed of the European setback.

The loss of the industry accreditation comes not only as AIM celebrates its 40th anniversary but also at a time when many of its board of trustees, including chairman Jose Cuisia Jr. and vice chairman Armin Luistro, are leading protest actions against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo over, ironically, governance issues.

According to the grapevine, the European accreditation agency expressed surprise and recoil that two tenured professors of what arguably is one of region’s better business schools could be suspended for a year without pay for having organized what in effect is an academic union.

The year-long suspension of AIM professors Victor Limlingan and Emmanuel Leyco was declared illegal last month by the National Labor Relations Commission, but AIM made it clear it would appeal the decision.

To counteract any negative repercussions from the loss of accreditations, AIM president Francis Estrada has scheduled several meetings with the school’s corporate sponsors and multilateral donors and students this week and next.