Together with UIBS as one of its founding members, a new association for higher education accreditation was formed in Vienna, Austria in May 2015.
The Association for Transnational Higher Education Accreditation (ATHEA) is a not-for-profit, membership-based association that seeks to advance quality in higher education through institutional accreditation based on the European Standard’s and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG), which is required for eventual recognition by the European Quality Assurance Register in Higher Education (EQAR).
UIBS is undergoing a continuous process of self-evaluation and self-improvement by means of internal and external quality validation.
Our organization, being internationally commended for its academic contributions to professional business and management education, serves a highly unique and culturally diverse student body and endorses both academic advancement and personal growth among its students. Our mission is accomplished through academic excellence, ingenious extra-curricular activities and distinguishing cultural alliances.
We of course have no doubt that ATHEA will succeed to advance in its mission together with UIBS, and specifically together with our managing director, Mr. Thierry Kirschstein who was appointed as Vice-president of the board of Directors of ATHEA.
Günter Singer, Executive Director of ATHEA also reported that “We are excited to launch this important initiative in order to provide outcomes-based accreditation to primarily private higher education institutions”. Singer elaborated that institutional membership is open to institutions that reside inside and outside of the European region that meet membership requirements.
ATHEA aspires to be the preeminent resource for institutions of higher education striving to achieve excellence in fulfilling their missions. ATHEA intends, through voluntary assessment and adherence to high standards for student learning outcomes and operational behavior, to assure higher education’s publics that its accredited institutions are fulfilling their stated purposes and addressing the public’s expectations. ATHEA is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that is dedicated to quality assurance and improvement through accreditation via peer evaluation. Accreditation by a Board of Commissioners instils public confidence in the institutional mission, goals, performance, and resources through its rigorous accreditation standards and their enforcement of those standards.
THEA (Transnational Higher Education Accreditation) is the actual accreditation services provided by ATHEA. An institution joins ATHEA in order to be awarded THEA. The THEA Board of Commissioners is the independent accreditation decision-making body of ATHEA and is elected by the organization’s membership in accordance with the ATHEA bylaws.
The first annual conference of ATHEA is scheduled for 21-October-2015 at UIBS’ new campus facilities Brussels, Belgium.
Further information can be found at ATHEA’s website: www.athea.org
