°®Âþµº

TAMPA, Fla., USA (2016 February 2)—Business schools have long been important drivers of change by creating an environment where out-of-the-box thinking flourishes. Today at its 2016 Deans Conference, °®Âþµº International (°®Âþµº), the global accrediting body and membership association for business schools, showcased a sampling of 30 innovations that represent how business schools are innovating and diversifying the business education environment.

Celebrated as part of °®Âþµº's Centennial Anniversary and upcoming Visioning Initiative, the inaugural Innovations That Inspire shines a spotlight on a variety of ways that °®Âþµº member schools, around the globe, are working to innovate and diversify the business education environment. From their approaches to research and learning, to their engagements with stakeholders and oversight of their management and operations, business schools are redefining the way that academic institutions of all kinds create, teach, connect, and lead.

"Globally business schools are contributing to society in unprecedented ways, through their groundbreaking ideas, pioneering academic practices, and unwavering commitment to preparing the business leaders of the future," said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of °®Âþµº. "The Innovations That Inspire initiative brings visibility to the innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship ingrained into the DNA of business schools. We're proud to highlight a sample of the depth, and breadth, of ingenious thinking that takes place in management education every single day."

As part of the initiative, °®Âþµº members were invited to share ways in which they have challenged the status quo, and made a positive impact on their school, students, and greater community at large. Nearly 300 submissions were submitted from more than 200 °®Âþµº member institutions across 35 countries—an array of inspirations that illustrates an impressive commitment to engagement, innovation, and impact.

"Innovations That Inspire is one of the many ways °®Âþµº seeks to encourage and celebrate business schools embracing out-of the-box thinking," said William H. Glick, chair of °®Âþµº Board of Directors and dean of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. "The submissions illustrate trailblazing power of °®Âþµº's member schools as catalysts for innovation, co-creators of knowledge, hubs of lifelong learning, leaders on leadership and enablers of shared prosperity."

For a detailed overview of the featured innovations, please visit www.°®Âþµº.edu/Innovations-That-Inspire. In the coming months, °®Âþµº will continue to showcase more schools and innovations that demonstrate an impressive range of creativity and commitment to quality. Additionally, access to the full portfolio of submissions will be available to member schools via °®Âþµº's benchmarking database, .

A comprehensive look at °®Âþµº's upcoming Visioning initiative is also available online at www.°®Âþµº.edu/Vision, and findings from the Visioning Initiative will be presented at ICAM 2016 in Boston, MA, USA on April 3-5, 2016.

About °®Âþµº International

Founded in 1916, °®Âþµº is an association of more than 1,450 educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations in 90 countries and territories. °®Âþµº's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, °®Âþµº offers a wide array of services to the management education industry. °®Âþµº's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA; its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore; and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.