Privacy of Accreditation Information

When an institution joins the ACBSP, it agrees to the disclosure of its accreditation status, including disclosure of the accreditation principles that the business programs are, and are not, in compliance with. The disclosure of this information helps external stakeholders, such as students, parents, and the general public, to make educational decisions. Other information provided to the ACBSP during the accreditation process is confidential, and the ACBSP makes every reasonable effort to protect that confidentiality. Such information will be disclosed to outside parties only when disclosure is required by law; in such cases, the ACBSP’s legal counsel will be involved in the decision to publicly disclose accreditation information. Only evaluators, staff and commissioners of the ACBSP who need to know the confidential information may review it.

The ACBSP requires these individuals to abide by this confidentiality requirement. The ACBSP makes every reasonable effort to avoid conflicts of interest. Program evaluators are excluded from involvement in the accreditation process for institutions in which they have had, or might foresee having, a professional or personal conflict of interest. Members of the ACBSP Board of Directors or Board of Commissioners are required to recluse themselves from discussions, deliberations, or decisions about their own institutions or other institutions where a conflict of interest might exist

Program evaluators understand their ethical responsibilities pertaining to conduct before, during, and after accreditation site visits. Matters pertaining to an accreditation visit are not discussed in public and are treated confidentially.

ACBSP policy requires that each member maintain the confidentiality of all ACBSP accreditation materials. While such materials can be disseminated throughout the institution, as appropriate, they should not be shared with outside parties without the approval of the ACBSP.