Celebrating 100 Years of Business Education
Business education has deep roots at Santa Clara University, reaching all the way to a commercial course that launched in 1854. However, to meet ever-growing demand after World War I, the University launched a formal business school in 1923 with the announcement of the College of Commerce and Finance.
Basics such as stenography, penmanship, and bookkeeping quickly evolved and expanded into Management, Accounting, Marketing, Information Systems, Finance, Economics, and more. Over the past 100 years, those offerings have broadened beyond a bachelor’s degree to include a range of graduate degrees, delivered in person and online, including the MBA, M.S. in Information Systems, M.S. in Business Analytics, M.S. in Finance and Analytics, and an M.S. in Marketing.
Thirty-five students registered in the first full year of operations; 100 years later, the school enrolls more than 2,500 students in all of its programs. The name changed with the times, from the College of Business Administration in the 1920s to the School of Business in the 1960s to the Leavey School of Business in the 1980s. One thing that did not change in all that time is the goal to educate principled, well-rounded business leaders for Silicon Valley and beyond.
This year, as part of the school’s centennial celebration, Dean Ed Grier and the school’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni will gather for a multitude of academic and festive activities. In addition, the school is producing a book covering its storied history.