WSU changes College of Business and Economics name

A vote by the Washington State University Board of Regents Friday, Jan. 27, officially updated the name of the College of Business and Economics to the College of Business.

“The new name reflects the direction and mission of one of our most important colleges,” says WSU President V. Lane Rawlins.

“Today and going forward, we will provide an outstanding education to new generations of students, helping them to appreciate and understand the impact of business on society and the environment at the state, national, and global levels,” said College of Business Dean Eric R. Spangenberg.

On July 1, 2005, the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences officially became the academic home of the new School of Economic Sciences, and the College of Business and Economics’ long-time colleagues in the Department of Economics moved across campus to their new offices in Hulbert Hall.

“We are pleased that we will maintain close ties to the school and to economics faculty. Economics classes are still necessary for business majors, and business and economics faculty will continue to collaborate on research and teaching projects,” Spangenberg said.

The name of the academic unit offering business classes has changed many times since 1892, when, at the new Washington State College, bookkeeping and rural economy classes were taught. The School of Business was first operational in 1895 in the Department of Elementary Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, one year after the Department of Economic Sciences and History had been formed. In 1926, the Department of Business Administration was created, and the next year it became the School of Business Administration.

It left the College of Arts and Sciences in 1941 and evolved into the School of Economics and Business Administration in 1947, two years before moving into Todd Hall. In 1961, it became the College of Economics and Business Administration and in 1963 was renamed the College of Business and Economics. In the 1991-92 academic year, the college celebrated its centennial year.

Today, the College of Business serves more than 2,500 undergraduates and 150 graduate students. That includes more than 1,000 undergraduates at the junior and senior levels accepted to certify into the nine majors under two degrees-the bachelor of arts in Business Administration and the bachelor of arts in Hospitality Business Administration.

WSU business degrees are available at WSU Vancouver and WSU Tri-Cities, and through distance degree programs. The College of Business was ranked among the top 10 business programs at public universities in the western United States, according to US News and World Report. Several of its programs, schools, and departments are also ranked for their excellence in the top echelons of their peers.

The college has on faculty 15 chairs and distinguished professors in endowed positions, serving as master researchers and educators as well as resources to their fields.

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