VCU School of Business
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Type | Public business school |
|---|---|
Parent institution | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Dean | Brian P. Brown (Interim) |
Academic staff | 160[1] |
| Students | 3,836[2] |
| Location | , , United States |
| Website | business.vcu.edu |
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business is the business school of Virginia Commonwealth University, a public research university in Richmond, Virginia.
The Beginning
The School of Business opened on September 22, 1937 as the School of Store Service Education. Henry Hibbs, president of the Richmond Division of the College of William and Mary, had secured a federal grant to train executives for the growing retail sector. The school trained educators to teach salesmanship, retailing, and department store training programs.[3] VCU School of Business has grown from an initial class of 11 students to a student body of nearly 4,000.[4]
1940s G.I. Bill of Rights
In 1944, eight men were enrolled full-time at the school. By 1948, male enrollment had increased to 890 students, transforming RPI from chiefly women's college into a coeducational institution. This was primarily caused by the enactment of the G.I. Bill of Rights. Accounting was added as a degree in 1946. The Department of Business Administration became the School of Business.[3]
1958 Center for Corporate Education
In 1958, the School of Business founded the Adult Business Education Center to serve area companies through short-term courses, workshops and seminars. It is now known as the Center for Corporate Education.[5]
1986 Experimental Economics Lab
The Experimental Economics Lab, opened in 1986 and was the first of its kind to employ the IBM PC network as a tool for replicating actual market environments.[5]
1994 Fast Track MBA & International Business Forum
The VCU Executive MBA (formerly the Fast Track Executive MBA) was founded in 1994 and has attracted more than 1,000 mid-level executives and professionals. Universal Corp provided a grant in 1994 that allowed VCU to establish the first International Business Forum.[6]
1999–2007 Campaign for the School of Business
Steven A. Markel, vice chairman of Markel Corporation, who was also chair of the school's executive leadership committee, and William H. Goodwin Jr., president and CEO of CCA Industries Inc. chaired of the VCU School of Engineering foundation. He envisioned the expantion of VCU's campus across Belvidere Street. An initial $10 million gift from Steve and Kathie Markel (the largest donation in the school's history) and $1 million from Tom and Vickie Snead, started a campaign to increased donations for the School of Business Foundation. The Foundation raised $51.5 million, which funded the construction of Snead Hall.[7]
2007 Business Career Services
Prior to 2007, students were given advice and steered toward internships and jobs by faculty, the University Career Center, and alumni volunteers. In 2007, VCU created a dedicated career services meant for business students in Snead Hall.[7]
2008 VCU da Vinci Center
The da Vinci Center of Innovation was created in 2008. It combines the VCU School of Engineering, VCU School of the Arts,and the VCU School of Business into teams collaborating on finding ways to solve business problems.[7]
