Among the Nation’s First: The Wisconsin School of Business Makes History

In the spring of 1900, the Board of Regents put the wheels in motion that would make history: They approved a proposal establishing the School of Commerce at the University of Wisconsin, one of the first five public business schools in the country.

Under the auspices of the College of Letters and Science, the school set up shop in North Hall on campus’ Bascom Hill, with its first director, William Scott.

By the 1940s, the school separated from the College of Letters and Science and became the School of Commerce with its first dean, Fayette C. Elwell. In 1945, a Master of Business Administration was approved—and in 1947, a Doctor of Philosophy for work in commerce fields.

In a 1954 presentation to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Dean Elwell noted that the “organization of the school is unique among American schools and goes back to the days of Professor Scott, who looked ahead. The School of Commerce is organized on a solid educational basis on which to build.”

Dean Erwin A. Gaumnitz took the helm in 1955 and presided over the transition to the Commerce Building, which opened in 1956. The school officially changed its name to the School of Business in 1966. It continued to grow its notable programs, such as the arts administration program (a national first in 1969), as well as its faculty, student body, and worldwide reputation throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The School of Business moved to the brand-new Grainger Hall in 1993, which allowed space for the school’s ongoing expansion. These included specialized knowledge centers, such as the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management, and the Center for Urban Land Economics and Research, among several others.

WSB celebrated its centennial in 2000. The intervening years have seen the school welcome and adapt to the digital age, with innovations to its curriculum and portfolio of programs, and rise in world higher education rankings. The school created additional centers and initiatives such as an AI Hub for Business and a reimagined career services and leadership center that better reflect and prepare students for today’s myriad pathways into global business.

The world and the school have changed exponentially since 1900. But even in an age of algorithms, WSB’s time-tested formula remains the same as it was 125 years ago.

As Dean Andrew J. Policano, who served as WSB’s dean from 1991 until 2001, once described it, “As good as the school is, we are determined to be better,” he said. “The key to continuously improving the School of Business is very simple: listening and reacting to what students and graduates tell us about their experiences.”

Join WSB in celebrating 125 years of bold ideas and boundless impact. For more information, visit business.wisc.edu/125-years.

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