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School History
Year
History
1898
Georgina M. Holt is hired as the first business teacher at Oklahoma A&M College. She
resigns in 1903 to marry Dr. Lowery Layman Lewis, who was instrumental in getting
the School of Commerce and Marketing established.1914
The School of Commerce and Marketing is established at Oklahoma A&M College.
1915
Professor H.W. Moorhouse is appointed as the first dean during the 1915-1916 academic
year.1916
Willard Rude joins the faculty, serving as department head from 1920 to 1945. He wins
the trophy in a yearly contest for shorthand penmanship sponsored by Gregg Publishing
Company so many times that the company was forced to retire the trophy to Rude.
The first bachelor’s and master’s degrees are granted by the School of Commerce and Marketing.
1922
The School of Commerce and Marketing records the largest enrollment of any of the
six schools on the campus, and it moves into its first official building, the Old
Engineering Building.1924
The School of Commerce and Marketing becomes known as the School of Commerce.
1925
Morrill Hall becomes the home for the College of Business Administration. The building
was originally built in 1906 as the administration building for the ever-growing Oklahoma
A&M College.1929
Raymond D. Thomas becomes dean. He eventually retired in 1957 but his 28-year tenure
is the longest tenure of any dean of the Spears School.1933
The faculty in the School of Commerce consists of 19 members.1939
The School of Commerce becomes the Division of Commerce.
1945
With the end of World War II, enrollment in the School of Commerce increases dramatically
as soldiers return home, tripling between 1945 and 1946, and almost reaching 2,000
by 1947.1953
The Business Extension is created with Harry Canup named as director. Today, the outreach
portion of the Spears School is the Center for Executive and Professional Development.
1955
The Division of Commerce becomes known as the Division of Business.
1957
Eugene Swearingen replaces Raymond D. Thomas as dean, becoming the first new leader
since Thomas was named in 1929.1958
The Division of Business becomes the College of Business.
1960
The Ph.D. program in economics is the first doctoral program in the College of Business
Administration. The first three students in the program were, from left, Richard W.
Poole, Duck-Woo Nam and Robert L. Sandmeyer.1964
On Dec. 9, the groundbreaking of the current Business Building is held as OSU celebrates
the 50th anniversary of business education with a golden anniversary celebration.
The building officially opens in the fall of 1966.1965
Richard W. Poole becomes dean. He resigned the position in 1972 to become vice president
for University Relations and Development. His contributions to the college and the
university are countless.1969
The College of Business becomes known as the College of Business Administration.
1975
A tornado sweeps through Stillwater and the OSU campus on June 13. The storms path
cuts across the OSU campus with the College of Business Administration building in
its path. Fortunately, there are no human casualties but damage to the building is
considerable with most of the windows and glass doors chipped or broken out completely,
and there is structural damage to the walls and ceilings.
1977
Robert A. Sandmeyer becomes dean and serves for 17 years, second in length of service
only to Raymond D. Thomas.1981
The Department of Accounting becomes known as the School of Accounting, a long-sought
goal by Wilton T. Anderson, who had been head of the department since 1961.1982-83
Enrollment peaks during the academic year with 5,267 full-time undergraduate students
enrolled in the College of Business Administration. In addition, full-time faculty
reaches its highest numbers ever with 133 members.
1987
Fulfilling its mission as a land grant university to teach, research and extend to
the community and the world, the College of Business Administration and the Business
Extension office begins its popular Tulsa Business Forums series. Two years later,
the program expands to Oklahoma City with the Executive Management Briefings.
1995
Gary Trennepohl becomes dean of the College of Business Administration, serving until
1999 when he was asked to become president of the newly created OSU-Tulsa campus.
He currently is Regents Service Professor and ONEOK Chair in Finance, and President’s
Council Chair in Finance in the Spears School.1998
Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, is the featured speaker during
the Tulsa Business Forums and Executive Management Briefings in Oklahoma City.2004
The College of Business Administration is renamed the Williams S. Spears School of
Business. Today, the college is known as the Spears School of Business.
2012
A record 1,031 diplomas are granted at commencement exercises. Four students were
in the first graduating class of the School of Commerce and Marketing in 1916, and
the school has graduated students every year since.
2014
On May 5, Ken Eastman is named Dean of the Spears School of Business following a national
search. Eastman has taught at the business school since 1989, serving as an assistant
professor (1989-1995), associate professor (1995-2014), director of the MBA program
(1999-2003), acting department head (2002-2003), and as the head of the Department
of Management (2003-2014).
On September 5, in addition to celebrating 100 years of business education at OSU, the Spears School holds a groundbreaking ceremony for a new business building to be constructed just north of the current building.
2018
January 15 – The new building for the Spears School of Business opened for its first classes at the beginning of the Spring 2018 semester. The building features 13 state-of-the-art classrooms, a 150-seat lecture call, nine student team room, eight faculty-student breakout rooms along with other amenities that will facilitate the foundation for stronger programs and more effective recruitment of top students.
April 13 – The new home for the Spears School of Business is dedicated with a celebration highlighted by speeches from OSU President Burns Hargis, Spears Business Dean Ken Eastman, Oklahoma City Architect and OSU alum Rand Elliott. The $72 million, 147,500-square-foot facility is 49 percent larger than the old building and projects as a 100-year building.