History

History

Columbia Business School was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students. A. Barton Hepburn, then president of Chase Manhattan Bank, founded the Columbia University Graduate School of Business with 11 full-time faculty members and an opening class of 61 students, including eight women. The School expanded rapidly, enrolling 420 students by 1920 and, in 1924, adding a PhD program to the existing BS and MS degree programs.

In 1945, Columbia Business School authorized the awarding of the Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). Shortly thereafter, the School adopted the Hermes emblem as its symbol, chosen because of the Greek god’s association with business, commerce and communication.

In 1952, the School admitted its last class of undergraduates.

Columbia Business School has charted a course of ongoing growth and the development of new business practices through its unwavering commitment to research, ongoing curricular innovations and a steadily expanding global reach. The School is accredited by the International Association for Management Education (also known as AACSB) and is widely acknowledged as being among the world’s top business schools.

In addition to its renowned MBA, Executive MBA and PhD programs, Columbia offers successful business managers and company executives the opportunity to enhance their careers and expand their knowledge through its portfolio of nondegree Executive Education programs.

On July 1, 2004, R. Glenn Hubbard became Columbia Business School’s ninth dean. Hubbard, the former chair of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, has worked at the intersection of the private, government and nonprofit sectors and has been actively engaged in national and international economic policy issues. As dean, Hubbard is leading Columbia Business School to continued excellence with pioneering initiatives across all disciplines that intensely focus on entrepreneurial thinking and execution in a global environment.

Deans of Columbia Business School