The Delegation of BNU Business School Attended the AACSB 2025 Global Annual Conference and Visited Universities in Central Asia

From April 6th to 14th, 2025, Qi Yudong, the Dean of the Business School of Beijing Normal University (BNU), Hu Conghui, the Associate Dean, Dai Mi, the Director of the Department of International Economics and Trade, Yang Dan, an Associate Professor of the Department of Accounting, and Li Jingya, the Associate Director of the International Accreditation Office, attended the 2025 AACSB International Conference and Global Annual Meeting (ICAM) held in Vienna by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). They also visited SDU University and KIMEP University in Kazakhstan, as well as Tashkent State Pedagogical University in Uzbekistan.

The four - day ICAM Global Annual Meeting featured 13 theme forums and 15 parallel sub - forums, attracting over 1,300 representatives from 170 business schools in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide. The conference covered hot topics such as the application of artificial intelligence in business education, the impact of geopolitics on the internationalization of business universities, the innovation and transformation of business education, interdisciplinary education, and strengthening social connections. During the conference, in the "China Business School Special Exchange" theme forum co - hosted by Geoff Perry, the Global Vice - President and Asia - Pacific CEO of AACSB, and Guodong Xu, the Head of AACSB's East Asia Region, more than 100 representatives from over 50 business schools in mainland China participated in the discussion. Qi Yudong was invited to give a keynote speech. During the event, Hu Conghui, the Associate Dean, and Li Jingya from the International Accreditation Office met with the officially appointed mentor, Dr. Amy Z. Zeng. The two sides had an in - depth and comprehensive discussion on the writing of the first draft of the AACSB accreditation improvement report. Dean Zeng first affirmed the achievements of the School's development in the past year. At the same time, based on the AACSB accreditation standards, Dean Zeng put forward a series of valuable revision suggestions regarding the problems and areas for improvement in the first draft, pointing out the direction for the subsequent revision work. After carefully listening to and recording Dean Zeng's suggestions, Associate Dean Hu Conghui stated that the accreditation office would go all out to promote the revision of the subsequent report and strive to pass the AACSB accreditation as soon as possible.

Figure 1: Meeting with certified mentor Amy Z. Zeng

On April 10th, the delegation of our school visited SDU University in Kazakhstan and deeply participated in the "International Week" series of activities held by the school. During the visit, the delegation met with representatives of the school's management and teachers from the Business School respectively. The two sides discussed cooperation models such as student short - term exchanges, dual - degree programs, and teacher exchanges, and initially reached a cooperation intention. In addition, during the student exchange session, Li Jingya, a member of the delegation, introduced the historical heritage, international reputation, teaching staff, and disciplinary advantages of BNU and the School to the students, with a focus on the master's and doctoral programs taught in English. Finally, by playing videos, the campus life of BNU was vividly and three - dimensionally presented, greatly stimulating the strong interest of the students present. The on - site interaction atmosphere was warm.

Figure 2: Participating in SDG International Week activities

Figure 3: Conducting a project presentation

Figure 4: Meeting with the Dean and Teacher Representatives of the SDU Business School

On April 11th, the delegation visited KIMEP University, the most internationally influential university in Kazakhstan. They were warmly received by Dennis Olson and Yuliya Frolova, the vice - deans of the Business School, Bulbul Aitzhanova, the person in charge of the undergraduate program, and Ulan Nuhan, the director of the China Affairs Office. As a top - tier institution in Central Asia adopting the American education system, KIMEP University has gained a remarkable reputation and wide recognition in the academic community for its excellent education quality and distinct international features. At the symposium, Dean Qi Yudong introduced in detail the development status and educational achievements of BNU and the Business School to the participants from KIMEP University. They also had an in - depth discussion and exchange on issues such as discipline construction, student exchanges, and the recruitment of English - language programs. After the meeting, the delegation visited the modern teaching facilities and the newly completed teaching building of KIMEP University.

Figure 5: Photo with Dr. Chan Young Bang, President of KIMEP University

On April 14th, the delegation visited Tashkent State Pedagogical University in Uzbekistan. Feruza Ikramova, the vice - rector in charge of international cooperation, and Oybek Sotiboldiyev, the person in charge of the International Office, and other school officials participated in the meeting. The two sides had an in - depth exchange of views on issues such as student exchanges, short - term projects, and dual - degree programs. Based on the cooperation at the university level, they further explored the possibilities of school - level cooperation.

Figure 6: Group photo with representatives of the leaders of Tashkent State Pedagogical University

This visit achieved fruitful results. It not only greatly accelerated the pace of the AACSB international accreditation work but also significantly enhanced the close connection between our college and universities in Central Asia. It also laid a solid foundation for subsequent cooperation projects such as student exchanges, overseas recruitment, and joint training. In the future, our School will continue to deepen the internationalization strategy, aiming to cultivate business professionals with an international perspective and contribute to the high - quality development of "Belt and Road" educational cooperation.

Contributed by: Office of International Exchange and Cooperation

Edited by: Li Jingya

Reviewed by: Hu Conghui