MONASH BUSINESS MALAYSIA
HOW WE ACED AACSB
The External Engagement and Impact team plays a vital role in raising the School’ s visibility and cultivating meaningful partnerships. This includes managing outreach through newsletters, social media, and publications, as well as coordinating innovation and entrepreneurship programs. These initiatives connect students with real-world challenges while offering mentoring and logistical support that contributes to enriched learning outcomes.
Cross-functional collaboration remains a defining feature of the School’ s operational model. The recent redesign of the School’ s website, for instance, was delivered through close coordination between professional staff and academic leadership across Operations Management, Education Management, Research Support, and External Engagement. The result is a platform that communicates the School’ s strengths and offerings more clearly to prospective students, industry partners, and research collaborators.
The School’ s preparation for AACSB accreditation offers another example of collaborative strength, with professional staff leading the planning, evidence collation, and report drafting, thereby enabling academic colleagues to focus on content and strategic alignment.
Equally important as the work itself is the manner in which professional staff support one another. The Wellbeing Working Group, led by staff from across functions, champions initiatives that foster personal development, psychological safety, and digital confidence. These include training to support career progression, team-building activities that strengthen connection, and sessions that build data literacy and familiarity with automation and artificial intelligence. Recognising contributions is also central to the group’ s efforts, grounded in the belief that sustained performance must go hand in hand with a healthy and supportive work culture.
At the core of these initiatives is a collective identity grounded in purpose and ownership. Professional staff in the School of Business see themselves not simply as administrative support but as enablers of excellence. Through structured feedback, collaborative platforms, and a culture that embraces continuous improvement, they are constantly finding new ways to enhance the systems that support the School. As the environment becomes increasingly dynamic, their role will remain instrumental in sustaining operations and shaping the School’ s future direction.
Tan Mei Sie
Reflection on the 2024 AACSB Re-Accreditation Journey for the School of Business
Annereena Ravichandran
When I first heard about the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business( AACSB) accreditation, I understood it as a mark of global prestige— a respected standard in business education. But wow— it turned out to be so much more than just a prestigious accreditation for business schools. It’ s about showing up every day for our students, staff, and industry partners with a promise: that we’ re committed to excellence, that we’ ll keep growing, and that we’ ll never stop pushing ourselves to be better. Having been a Monash student myself, I know how transformative a good education can be— it shapes how you see the world, your career, and even yourself.
To be real, it wasn’ t all smooth sailing. The standards were detailed, layered, and sometimes felt like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Each one made sense on its own, but weaving them into a story that felt true to us took time, deep thinking, and a whole lot of teamwork. Gathering evidence across teaching, research, engagement, and societal impact meant wearing many hats— detective, editor, cheerleader— often all in the same day!
The real trick was keeping it simple without losing depth. We focused on what truly mattered and leaned heavily on three magic ingredients: clear communication( no mystery emails), genuine collaboration( everyone’ s voice matters), and consistency( a. k. a lots of check-ins and gentle nudges).
One of my biggest personal challenges was navigating Assurance of Learning( AoL). At first, it felt like being handed a map in a foreign language. But with support and some lightbulb moments, I realised AoL isn’ t about ticking boxes— it’ s about setting goals, measuring meaningfully, and continuously improving. It’ s the heartbeat that keeps the School thriving.
Looking back, I’ m struck by how much I’ ve grown from this AACSB journey. I’ ve learned to trust people, embrace the unknown, and find beauty in the grey areas. There were missteps and doubts, but each one taught me something – about resilience, collaboration, and patience.
Excellence isn’ t a destination. It’ s a choice we make every day— every project, every meeting, every conversation. And if that journey allows for a few well-earned personal vacations, even better.
BY ANNEREENA RAVICHANDRAN BBusCom‘ 19, MIB‘ 22 Manager, Performance and Quality Services
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