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Legacy Hall Timeline

The Wisconsin School of Business has been at the forefront of innovation and big ideas for 125 years. See snapshots from the school’s rich history and tradition of excellence.

1900s

  • University of Wisconsin Bulletin No. 35, General Series, No. 3, March 1900

    University of Wisconsin Bulletin No. 35, General Series, No. 3, March 1900 as approved by the Regents of the University establishes the School of Commerce, which was renamed the Course in Commerce in 1904.

  • A black and white photo of Professor William A. Scott.

    William A. Scott is named the first director of the School of Commerce.

  • North Hall

    North Hall, shown here in the early 1900s, is built as a dormitory and later made into classrooms. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

  • The official marker for North Hall

    The official marker for North Hall, recognizing its status as the first campus building.

  • Students in a boat on Lake Mendota

    Students enjoy a boating excursion on Lake Mendota, early 1900s.

1910s

  • Bascom Hill

    View looking up Bascom Hill. On October 10, 1916, the dome on Bascom Hall burned and was not replaced.

  • Men sitting at tables looking at the camera during the Commerce Club Banquet

    The Commerce Club Banquet, held in 1917, reflects the growth of the Course in Commerce.

  • Business students graduating with graduation uniforms on

    Business students participate in their graduation procession in Spring 1918 during World War l, “The Great War.”

  • The cover of the School's magazine Commerce: Brains with Business

    The cover of the School’s magazine—Commerce: Brains with Business, Volume 2, Number 5, March 1918—published by the commerce students of the University of Wisconsin.

  • 'Impressions of a Commerce Girl Graduate' article by Mary McNulty

    Article by Mary McNulty, the school’s first female graduate, “Impressions of a Commerce Girl Graduate,” published in Commerce: Brains with Business, Volume 2, Number 5, March 1918.

  • Mary McNulty

    Portrait of first female graduate of the Course in Commerce, Mary McNulty (BA 1917) from the Wisconsin Badger Yearbook, Vol. XXXII.

  • Sterling Hall

    Entrance to Sterling Hall, which houses the school from 1918 to 1956.

1920s – 1930s

  • Faculty and staff at the Institute for Research in Land Economics

    Faculty and staff at the Institute for Research in Land Economics. Formed in 1920, the institute is now the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate. In 1925, the institute produced the forerunner to the journal Land Economics, still published quarterly by UW–Madison.

  • Students lounging on a pier on Lake Mendota

    Students lounge and enjoy a summer day on Lake Mendota in the early 1920s, wearing the sunbathing attire of the day.

  • College football game at Camp Randall

    Wisconsin Badgers on the gridiron in 1930 at Camp Randall, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football.

1940s

  • People sitting at tables on the Memorial Union Terrace

    Memorial Union Terrace, shown here in 1940, is already one of the most beautiful gathering places on campus.

  • Six female students doing a salute posing for the picture

    Students in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program pose for a portrait before leaving to serve wartime duties during World War II. UW–Madison was one of the first WAVES training centers to open in October 1942.

  • A view of Bascom Hill

    A view down Bascom Hill.

  • A crowd of students standing outside a bookstore

    A large crowd of students gathers at the bookstore during registration week, 1947.

  • Four women students talking with two volunteer members at a table

    Students consult with volunteers staffing an information table, 1948.

  • A black and white photograph from a 1949 UW football game showing two students help lift the new Bucky Badger mascot head onto another student's head.

    Along with fellow students, Bill Sachse (BBA ’50) commissions the design of the very first Bucky Badger head, which is debuted at a 1949 football game.

1950s

  • Students working on homework with calculation tools

    Business students do homework calculations in the accounting lab, 1951.

  • Basketball game with two players on the same team trying to get the ball through the hoop

    Albert O. Nicholas (BS ‘52, MBA ‘55), wearing number 8, plays guard for the Badger men’s basketball team in a game against Illinois in the 1950s.

  • Larzette G. Hale

    Larzette Hale-Wilson (MPH ’43, PhD ’55) becomes the first female Black CPA in the nation to earn a PhD in accounting.

  • Seven students talking in a room with three sitting on a bench and the rest are standing

    Students converse in the Commerce building. By 1950 the program was again called the School of Commerce and had outgrown Sterling Hall. Courses were taught in 29 separate buildings, including several WWII temporary buildings around campus.

  • Four men adding the cornerstone for the Commerce building

    The cornerstone for the Commerce building is placed as part of the formal dedication of the building on May 4, 1956.

  • Students walking in front of the Commerce building

    Business students come and go between classes at the Commerce building, opened in 1955 as the university’s first purely classroom facility built since the 1930s.

1960s

  • A man and a woman standing in front of a desk looking at records

    Commerce students examine records, 1960s.

  • WSB becomes one of the first business schools to join The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which champions diversity and inclusion in business.

  • A professor talking with three students around a podium

    A professor discusses a concept with students in the UW-Extension Management Institute, 1969.

1970s

  • Ingraham Hall, former Commerce building, with students walking on the sidewalk

    The Commerce building, shown here in 1970, is remodeled and renamed Ingraham Hall and now serves the College of Letters and Science.

  • Six students working together on a type of investment tool

    Students work together in an investment class, 1970.

  • Stephen Hawk.

    Professor Stephen Hawk launches the Applied Security Analysis Program, allowing students to manage real investments.

  • A teacher teaching a lesson with students taking notes at desks

    Students listen to a professor in a class, 1970s.

  • Professor Isadore Fine and three students

    Wisconsin MBA students participating in the newly formed Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management confer with Professor Isadore Fine, 1970s.

1980s

  • A teacher teaching a class with students sitting at desks

    An evening business class is underway, Winter 1980.

  • Students standing in a line outside in the snow

    Students wait in line, timetables in hand, to register for classes, 1980s.

  • Two faculty members sitting with notes at a desk

    Faculty members compare notes, 1980.

  • A student using a computer

    A student uses an IBM computer in 1984 as the school prepares to meet the growing demand for computing resources and training.

  • Robert Haugen being recorded teaching a class

    A business class taught by Robert Haugen is recorded in an early experiment with using video to bring business education to a wider audience, 1985.

  • A sketch of Grainger Hall

    An architectural concept shows the neotraditionalist-style design of what will become Grainger Hall, 1985.

1990s

  • A student walking under an arch at Bascom Hall

    A student passes under an arch at Bascom Hall, where a plaque gifted by the Class of 1910 has the famous “sifting and winnowing” message.

  • A student and alumnus talking during a mock interview

    A senior business student discusses banking with an alumnus at a mock interview.

  • Students studying in the Business Library

    Students study together in the Business Library at Grainger Hall near the stained glass window crafted by Ed Carpenter of Portland, Oregon.

  • Grainger Hall with bicycles racks filled with bicycles in front of the building

    Construction begins on Grainger Hall in 1991, with occupancy in 1993. At that time, the building was 505,655 gross square feet.

  • Professor sitting with two students

    Under Dean Andrew J. Policano’s leadership, the school launches the Wisconsin Executive MBA program, its first degree offering designed for working professionals.

  • Professor Randy Dunham teaching a class in a computer lab

    Professor Randy Dunham teaches a class in the school’s computer lab, 1995.

  • The UW Marching Band and Bucky Badger during Homecoming Bash

    Bucky Badger and the UW Marching Band add spirit to the Homecoming Bash before the Badgers take on the Northwestern Wildcats, October 19, 1996.

  • Students working on a computer

    Students in the Applied Security Analysis Program view Bloomberg financial news on a computer, 1996.

  • A flock of plastic pink flamingos on Bascom Hill

    A flock of pink flamingos populates Bascom Hill in Spring 1998 in a tradition originated as a student prank in 1979 that has now become an annual part of the university’s giving campaign.

2000s

  • Fluno Center

    The Fluno Center opens as a conference center and total-immersion learning environment, 2000.

  • Grainger Hall

    Aerial view of Grainger Hall. The Park Street and University Avenue corner of the block was once home to University Avenue National Bank, which had two distinctive Bucky Badger clocks.

  • BBA student talking with a student services staff member

    A BBA student receives academic guidance from a student services staff member at the Academic Advising Office in Grainger Hall.

  • Wisconsin Business Alumni Bash

    13 like-minded UW alumni come together to create the Wisconsin Naming Partnership: an initial $85 million investment to preserve the Wisconsin School of Business name for at least 20 years.

  • UW cheerleaders lead School spirit

    UW cheerleaders lead school spirit at the Wisconsin Business Alumni Bash during Homecoming 2007.

  • The w crest being installed on Grainger Hall

    An 8-foot “W” crest is installed on Grainger Hall as the east addition nears completion, October 2007.

  • A student asking a question

    A student asks questions at a Wisconsin MBA presentation in Green Bay, Wisconsin, 2008.

  • CNN tapes a special segment for “Your$$$$” at Grainger Hall

    CNN tapes a special segment for “Your$$$$” at Grainger Hall, covering Wisconsin’s unique MBA career specialization model and business job prospects in a changing economy, September 2009.

2010s

  • Donna Katen-Bahensky talking at M. Keith Weikel Leadership Speaker Series

    Donna Katen-Bahensky, retired president and CEO of UW Hospital and Clinics, gives a talk as part of the M. Keith Weikel Leadership Speaker Series, September 2014.

  • Students in a large greenhouse looking at sugarcane plants

    An undergraduate student tours a sugarcane grinding facility on a plantation during a global trip to Cuba, an unprecedented trip made possible by the U.S. lifting of travel restrictions to Cuba, Spring 2015.

  • Five students sitting at a round table with laptops open in front of them are in a discussion

    Incoming MBA students kick off their curriculum with an ethics session in the new collaborative learning classrooms, August 2015.

  • Students sit and work on their laptops in the Learning Commons.

    WSB debuts the state-of-the-art Learning Commons, providing students with cutting-edge learning and study spaces loaded with technology.

  • A male student sits in front of a computer while looking at a piece of paper on the table in front of him. Two female students stand nearby, also looking at the paper.

    WSB launches its first business analytics degree program: the Master of Science-Business: Analytics.

  • One female student is holding a folder and another female student is pointing at the notes in the folder

    Students at BBA Induction read notes from alumni welcoming them to the program.

2020s

  • A racially diverse group of students are smiling and chatting in the Multicultural Center. Students can be seen sitting on couches in the background.

    The first-of-its-kind Multicultural Center opens, building community and fostering cultural fluency.

  • The Master of Science-Business: Data, Insights, and Analytics program launches as the first online-only graduate degree at WSB.

  • Student Akik Aziz (BS ‘25) showcases his semester-long project at UW–Madison’s Tech Exploration Lab while wearing a VR headset. Two people stand behind him, watching.

    The AI Hub for Business provides practical knowledge, industry connections, and academic expertise to transform business and prepare the next generation of business leaders.

  • A rendering of the renovated courtyard outside Grainger Hall, to be completed in phase three of the Badger Blueprint renovation in 2026. The outdoor space features flowers and trees in raised concrete beds, as well as tables and chairs.

    Grainger Hall begins work on its stunning remodel, which includes new, technology-enabled spaces designed to help students connect, collaborate, and innovate.