The Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis, has been accredited for the first time by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, marking a significant step in the development of the 10-year-old professional school. A three-member team of private and public sector administrators visited the campus earlier this year and found the UC Davis business school's goals and objectives closely aligned with the overall mission of the university. The team assessed the school's mission and objectives, educational innovation, academic planning and personnel. "The Graduate School of Management (GSM) has made smallness a strength by drawing on interdisciplinary strengths, both within the school of management and throughout the remainder of the university," stated the team's report. "There is a strong 'can do' attitude among the faculty and GSM has become a leader in community outreach for the entire campus." The team noted that there is a very strong cross-discipline interaction within the school. The report also said that ethical, legal, communication and international issues are appropriately addressed in a wide variety of courses. "The report confirmed my belief that this is a very good management school that has not yet been fully discovered by the outside world," said Robert Smiley, dean of the school. According to Smiley, accreditation is important for two reasons: It confirms the school's quality, and it will increase the applicant pool of foreign and domestic students who view accreditation as a signal of recognition and quality. Two areas identified in the report that need improvement are minority student recruitment and overall funding for programs. Recognizing the need to raise the number of and increase support for minority students, Smiley said, "We need to develop more scholarships and fellowships for minorities, and we will as we build toward the future." The accreditation is for three years. The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business was founded in 1916.