Baumgardner receives accreditation council certification

A Pennsylvania College of Technology business faculty member was recognized with a pair of new credentials at a recent Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs conference.

Chip D. Baumgardner, associate professor of business administration/management, was presented certificates acknowledging his status as an ACBSP certified mentor and as an ACBSP certified consultant.

Both credentials required him to complete coursework and pass an exam.

As a certified mentor, Baumgardner is hired by ACBSP to provide guidance to collegiate business programs as they seek accreditation – or reaffirmation of their accreditation – from the organization.

As a certified consultant, Baumgardner is hired directly by institutions to help them prepare their accreditation reports. The work is more in-depth than his work as a mentor.

Five degrees at Penn College are accredited by ACBSP: its bachelor’s degrees in accounting, applied management and business administration, and its associate degrees in accounting and business management. Institutions are required to go through a reaffirmation process every 10 years to maintain ACBSP accreditation.

The process is rigorous and involves both a detailed “self-study” report and a site visit by a team of ACBSP-trained evaluators.

Baumgardner has long served as an evaluator visiting other campuses, frequently serving as a site visit team chair. In his new role, he will lend that expertise to other colleges and universities.

ACBSP accredits business, accounting and business-related programs at the associate, baccalaureate, master and doctorate degree levels. Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, ACBSP was the first to offer specialized business accreditation at all degree levels and the first to offer certificate accreditation. ACBSP currently accredits business programs at more than 1,200 campuses in 60 countries.

Baumgardner holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State, master’s degrees from Penn State and Shippensburg University, and a doctorate from George Mason University. He holds a professional certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship from Stanford University, a Black Belt in Innovation Engineering from Eureka! Ranch’s Innovation Engineering Institute and a Black Belt in Six Sigma.

He has taken the lead in implementing the innovation leadership curriculum at Penn College, which includes a three-course competency credential that can lead to a Black Belt in Innovation Engineering.

He is a past president and ex officio officer of the Pennsylvania Economic Association and has authored and presented many papers on the topics of economics and distance learning.

To learn more about Penn College’s accounting and business majors, call 570-327-4505.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.