Ross School of Business - Institutional Milestones

Institutional Milestones

• 1924, the Michigan Alumnus newspaper announced the creation of the School of Business Administration. The Regents designated Tappan Hall as the new school's permanent home, where it remained for 25 years.
• 1926 The first 12 MBA degrees are granted
• 1935 The first Ph.D. degree is conferred
• 1942 The BBA program is established
• 1944 Russell A. Stevenson is appointed dean and makes plans for a new building.
• 1945 Enrollment increases to 366 with more than 83 percent veterans.
• 1947 Cornerstone laid for the new $2.5 million structure. Enrollment reaches 1,081 with 340 graduate students, making Michigan one of the largest MBA programs in the nation.
• 1950s First executive education programs launched.
• 1958 Chapter of the National Women's Business Association established.
• 1960 Floyd A. Bond is appointed dean
• 1967 Dean Bond begins a fundraising campaign for the Assembly Hall, starting with a pledge from alumnus Clayton G. Hale and other private donors.
• 1971 Groundbreaking for the new Assembly Hall, which includes the 450-seat Hale Auditorium, Executive Board Room and D. Maynard Phelps Lounge.
• 1976 The 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) William A. Paton Accounting Center is completed.
• 1979 Gilbert R. Whitaker is appointed dean and begins to expand what grows to be 17 joint programs. He also sets goals of doubling charitable revenues.
• 1982 $15 million Capital Campaign approved. With nearly $3 million in gifts from the Kresge Foundation, construction on the new Business Administration Library and the Executive Education Center begins along East University Avenue.
• 1990 B. Joseph White is appointed dean and implements strategies to retain traditional strengths while making a new commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. The Executive Education Program is ranked #1 by Business Week
• 1992 William Davidson donates $30 million, the largest gift ever associated with the University and the Business School, to establish the William Davidson Institute. Mr. Davidson's cumulative gifts to the university exceed $55 million
• 1995 Joel D. Tauber donates $5 million to the Michigan Joint Manufacturing Initiative, a joint program between business and engineering to form the Tauber Manufacturing Institute.
• 1996 Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb contribute $5 million to create the Erb Environmental Management Institute.
• 1997 Alumnus Sam Wyly donates $10 million for expanded executive education facilities at the corner of Hill Street and East University Avenue.
• 1999 Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb contribute $5 million to the previously established Erb Environmental Management Institute.
• 1999 Samuel Zell and Ann Lurie donate $10 million to establish the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.
• 2000 Keith E and Valerie J. Alessi Courtyard dedicated.
• 2001 Robert J. Dolan is named dean and works to expand the school's capability to combine scholarly theory with practical application. A commitment to action-based learning shapes all aspects of the school's educational offerings and a new strategic positioning statement—"Leading in thought and action" —headlines the school's updated graphic identity.
• 2003 John R. and Georgene M. Tozzi Electronic Business and Finance Center opens, a $2 million, 5,800-square-foot (540 m2) state-of-the-art learning facility that uses wireless technology to support action-based learning.
• 2004 Alumnus Stephen M. Ross makes history donating $100 million, $75 million of which is earmarked for a new building and $25 million of which is earmarked for the permanent endowment. In recognition of the power of the gift to elevate the school's aspirations and realize its ambitious vision, the Board of Regents renames the school the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Mr. Ross' cumulative gifts to the university exceed $110 million.
• 2005 Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb contribute an additional $10 million to the Erb Institute, bringing their cumulative gifts to the Institute to $20 million. The name of the institute is formally changed to the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise.
• 2005 Joined the Global Business School Network
• 2005 Architects and a group of 85 faculty, staff, students, directors and deans collaborate on the design of new facilities. In October, the Regents approve the design for the new $145 million building.
• 2005 Thomas C. Jones donates $10 million to the U-M's Stephen M. Ross School of Business to make it possible for undergraduates to experience many of the programs usually provided only to MBA students. The gift will establish the Thomas C. Jones Center for BBA Education, which will offer more opportunities for students to apply classroom theory to real business situations, incorporate liberal arts into the business curriculum and develop leadership skills.
• 2006 Components of the old campus are razed by summer's end. As of year-end 2006, the bulk of the foundation for the new building has been poured and several floors have been partially framed in with structural steel.
• 2007 A new Master of Supply Chain Management (MSCM) program is announced with an inception date of January 2008. The inaugural class is matriculated Aug. 1, 2007.
• 2009 Classes officially begin in the new Ross School of Business building.
• 2011 On February 14, 2011, it was announced that Alison Davis-Blake would become the new—and first female—Dean of the Ross School of Business, succeeding Robert J. Dolan.
• 2011 on July 21, 2011, The U-M Board of Regents approved a proposal by the College of Engineering and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business to offer a joint program that specializes in training students to turn ideas into inventions into successful businesses.The program will accept its first students to start in fall 2012.