The Sidhu School of Business is celebrating some changes and new goals since the arrival of the new Dean of the school, Dr. Abel Adekola, in June.

“This is a good business school, but not too many people know about us. My goal is to make sure we get it out of the valley,” Adekola said, referencing new initiatives. “We can not only do that by talking about it, we need to think about the students that we are recruiting – that they’re not just only from this region, they are nationally and internationally collected students,” he added.

Another way to get the school recognized, he said, was to ensure that faculty come from diverse backgrounds from all over the country and “the business world.”

An important goal in this process, Adekola said, was to become accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, usually referred to as AACSB.

“Only about 6 percent of every business school is accredited by the AACSB,” Adekola said.

Adekola was sure to mention that Wilkes is already accredited by the ACBSP, or The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

“… It is also a good accrediting agency, not every school is accredited… we just want to merge the premium accreditation, and the goal is that the Sidhu School should be the business school of choice,” he explained.

The change that will likely be the most visible to students is the advent of the Advisory Board. The board is made up of students who are presidents of clubs or are high-ranking in their respective business clubs, explained member Aaron Sadowski, junior finance major.

Adekola explained that he hopes the students will use their knowledge of media and their fellow students to advise decision making.

The board has no hierarchal structure and is made up of students who can contribute in their own rights, according to Sadowski.

“It started with the new dean coming in. Our main purpose is just to help him bring the school to his vision and what he wants the school to grow into,” he explained.

Member Danica Benson, junior pharmacy major and president of ENACTUS, explained the board as the “senate” for the business school.

“It’s going to distinguish (Sidhu) as its own school, but as part of Wilkes,” she said.

“So we can identify the needs of the individuals in the business school, apart from maybe the whole Wilkes population,” she explained.

Benson used the example of promoting change in curriculum that will “help to identify better business practices” and aid in motivating students.

One of the first goals of the advisory board is to start dressing business casual every Tuesday and Thursday. Junior marketing major Michelle Lehman said that this would help with the school’s image and cohesion.

Students should keep an eye out for further updates regarding the new advisory board of the Sidhu School of Business.