[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2440-S2441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE ATKINSON GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT ACCREDITATION

 Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, this year Willamette University's 
Atkinson Graduate School of Management celebrates its 20th anniversary 
with an extremely prestigious award. Already considered a pioneering 
spirit in management education, the Atkinson School can profess a 
singularly unique achievement: accreditation from both the National 
Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration [NASPAA] 
and the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business [AACSB]. It 
is the first school in the country to receive both accreditations--it 
is my alma mater, located in Salem, OR.
  Representatives from both the AACSB and the NASPAA visited the school 
in February 1995 and initiated an intense review process. After the 
review, the two organizations awarded the Atkinson school unanimous 
recommendations for accreditation. The two review boards commended the 
school for the program's focus on teamwork and practical application, 
the teaching staff's commitment to quality instruction and growth of 
their students, the uniqueness of the school's mission, and the 
outstanding facilities. The admissions and placement services received 
high praise as well.
  These two distinguished national and international accreditations 
testify to the impressive and ground-breaking work being done at the 
Atkinson School. Long recognized as a leading institute of management 
education, the accreditations provide the school with recognition world 
wide, recognition that is duly deserved and places the school among the 
elite institutions of the Pacific region. Out of the more than 700 
business schools in the Nation, the AACSB accredits 292. Among the 
Nation's 220 programs offering master's degrees in public management, 
the NASPAA accredits about half.
  The Atkinson School offers a curriculum that features quality 
instruction in both business and public management that will prepare 
students for the future in our global business community. It is telling 
that in a school that recognizes the importance of global management 
and multinational influence, international students comprise 25 percent 
of the total student body. The Atkinson School has distinguished itself 
as a model for the expanded role of an American institution, a role 
that embraces the cultures and perspectives of other nations.
  The Willamette University, nestled in the fertile Willamette Valley 
of Oregon, has long cultivated and developed inquisitive minds. The 
Atkinson School continues this storied tradition as its devotion to 
quality business management education aims for the 21st century. I wish 
to congratulate all the staff, supporters, and students who have 
participated in the unequaled success of the Atkinson School. I would 
also like to mention the outstanding leadership of the Atkinson School 
dean, G. Dave Weight, and the agenda of former Willamette University 
president, George Herbert Smith, whose vision led to the creation of 
the Atkinson School. A promising future faces the Atkinson School as it 
prepares its students to compete successfully in the demanding global 
business environment.
  Mr. President, I ask that the Atkinson School's formal mission 
statement be printed in the Record.
  The statement follows:

                           Mission Statement

       The Mission of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management 
     is to identify and convey principles of management shared by 
     successful enterprises in the business, government and not-
     for-profit sectors. Consistent with these principles, the 
     School educates managers to cooperate as well as compete, to 
     create as well as to operate, and to learn as well as to 
     know. Atkinson extends to management education the teaching 
     and learning traditions of Willamette University, a small, 
     liberal arts institution. Pursuing Willamette's mission to 
     serve its community

[[Page S2441]]

     with distinctive graduate, professional education, the 
     Atkinson School aims to be the preeminent small, independent 
     management program in the Pacific region.

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