TU professor serving on two accreditation boards
By Jill Gosche, jgosche@advertiser-tribune.comArticle Photos
A Tiffin University professor is serving on the boards of two accrediting agencies.
According to information from TU, John Millar, dean emeritus and management professor, is the first non-European elected to serve on the European Council for Business Education's board of directors. He also is serving on the board of commissioners for Baccalaureate and Graduate School Accreditation of the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.
Millar said he didn't know he would be the first non-European to serve on the ECBE board.
"At no point did I ever plan to be on either of these boards," he said. "It's a very nice recognition of Tiffin University. ... It's nice to be validated."
Millar said the ECBE has been in existence about 15 years and started by accrediting private schools in countries belonging to the European Union and state schools in emerging European nations. TU was accredited by the organization in 2006 because of its Romanian connection and was one of the first two American schools accredited by the group, he said.
Millar said TU has been involved in ACBSP since 1990, about the time the organization was founded. Its purpose was to develop accreditation programs for smaller schools' business schools, and it granted TU 10-year accreditation in 1996, he said.
Millar said TU was reaccredited in 2006, and during that time period, he served in several leadership roles. Last year, he said, an official asked him whether he would consider a seat on the organization's board of commissioners.
"I said 'yes' and was duly appointed," he said.
Millar said schools must assemble notebooks of self study, and a team looks over the program. A report is sent to the board, he said.
"The board of commissioners (decides) on the school's accreditation," he said.
Millar said serving on the boards means an increase in travel, and he has arranged his TU courses so he can serve without short-changing students.
"Both boards have meetings," he said. "I have five board meetings a year."
Millar said accreditation means a group of other institutions likes what one is doing, and employers recognize degrees from accredited institutions.
"Accreditation, the process is not easy," he said.
On the Web:
Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs:
European Council for Business Education:
Tiffin University:
