Last week, Audit Analytics had the pleasure of attending the International Conference and Annual Meeting (ICAM) 2021, hosted by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
As defined by the AACSB, “the International Conference and Annual Meeting (ICAM) is AACSB’s signature event for business education leaders, educators, and thinkers from around the world. As our most anticipated event of the year, ICAM unites more than 1,400 attendees from more than 60 countries.”
This four-day virtual event focused on connecting for better; packed with sessions, peer networking, regional and topical meetings, and various discussions, there was a strong emphasis on ways to ensure student success, promote faculty engagement, improve program quality, and enhance the overall way in which organizations are run.
Keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling author, Adam Grant, kicked off the conference with a powerful presentation: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.
“We need to think a little more scientifically. ‘Preacher mode’ and ‘prosecutor mode’ stop creative thinking. When I say ‘think like a scientist’, I mean valuing humility over pride, knowing what you don’t know, and curiosity over conviction.”
Other noteworthy sessions included discussions of future trends, data, and outcomes – with an unsurprising amount of talk surrounding COVID-19, diversity, and general career-long readiness.
With respect to data, an interesting stat was presented by Sean Ferguson (Associate Dean, Asia School of Business) during the Evolving to Meet the Needs of Business Schools and Learners session: “By 2025, there will be ten times the amount of data in the world.”
It is overtly clear that digital disruptions and innovations are at the forefront of the industry; many discussions were had regarding the higher education institutions’ readiness to challenge the norms and embrace the changes. In short, colleges and universities need to position themselves to empower their faculty and students with the programs, tools, and skillsets needed to thrive during these unprecedented, ever-changing times.
While this was only our first AACSB conference, we are looking forward to attending more of their events in the future. As a new AACSB member, Audit Analytics is thrilled to be part of the movement to create the next generation of great leaders.
To learn how Audit Analytics empowers the academic community, check out this short video:
If you’re interested in integrating our data in your classroom, please contact us.
Interested in our content? Be sure to subscribe to receive our email notifications.