Georgia Institute of Technology College of Management - History

History

Georgia Tech's management program began in 1912 with the creation of a School of Commerce. In 1933 this school was moved to the University of Georgia during the newly created Georgia Board of Regents' decision to consolidate Georgia's system of higher education. It would later become Georgia State University.

To meet the need for management training in technology, an Industrial Management degree was established in 1934, with a master's degree in the subject becoming the first professional management degree offered in the state 11 years later. The Ph.D program began in 1970.

In 1989, the College of Management combined with social sciences, humanities, and economics departments to form the Ivan Allen College of Management, Policy and International Affairs. In 1998, the School of Management was spun back into its own college, leaving the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

In 1996, Georgia Tech alumnus and restaurateur Thomas E. DuPree, Jr. pledged a $20 million donation to the College of Management, resulting in the college being named the DuPree College of Management in his honor. DuPree's name was removed from the college in 2004 after it became clear that DuPree would not be able to make the prescribed payment schedule. DuPree had recently resigned as board chairman and CEO of Avado Brands, the parent company of several chain restaurants which had recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In a carefully worded statement, Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough remarked that while DuPree's name would be "reluctantly" removed from the college, "We retain the utmost respect for Tom DuPree and all of his remarkable accomplishments and many philanthropic activities." DuPree had donated over $5 million to the college, funding nearly 200 scholarships, and promised to make good on his pledge in the future; as of 2010, this has yet to occur.

On November 6, 2009, College of Management received a $25 million donation from an anonymous donor, who would later come to be identified as Ernest Scheller, Jr. Twenty million of the sum was used as a 1-to-1 challenge grant designed to inspire charitable gifts and commitments from other donors. Fundraising for the challenge concluded June 30, 2012, though pledge payments extend up to five years from the date of a participating donor’s commitment. The remaining $5 million of the $25 Million will provide funds expendable at the discretion of the College of Management Dean Steve Salbu.

In June 2012, the College of Management announced a $50 million gift from Ernest Scheller Jr, a Georgia Tech alumnus and former chairman of Silberline Manufacturing, a Philadelphia-based pigment manufacturer. This $50MM included the $25MM that had been given by Ernest Scheller, Jr. anonymously in 2009. It was the largest cash gift in Georgia Tech's history. As a result, the College of Management was renamed the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business. The money has been used to double the College's endowment, grow the faculty, and strengthen the Ph.D. programs, among other uses.