I Couldn’t Be More Excited
By Terry Tush
Oklahoma State University business students have called the current Business Building their “home away from home” for more than 50 years. Since the doors opened in 1966 and faculty began teaching classes in the current building, thousands of OSU students have prepared for careers in accounting, finance, marketing and other disciplines in the historic 75,000-square-foot building.
Three Spears Business Hall of Famers were on campus when the current building opened:
- George Krull Jr. had just arrived on campus as a student pursuing his master’s degree in accounting.
- Richard Poole was dean of the College of Business, serving in that capacity from 1965 to 1972.
- Bob Sandmeyer was an assistant professor in the Department of Economics and would serve as dean from 1977 to 1994.
What do you remember about moving into the new building in August 1966?
Krull: First, it had air conditioning. I remember that because we had sweated through the Estates and Trusts class the summer of ’66. Windows wide open, the hot Oklahoma summer heat just blowing through. I think it was deliberately scheduled in the afternoon given the topic so we would sweat. I remember the conversation distinctly that we were going into an air-conditioned building in August.
Poole: The college was housed basically in old Morrill Hall, and we had a few classrooms and very limited office space. The first office I was in had three of us in the office. When we moved into the new building I was elated, and I think everyone else was elated. We were riding high. We thought it was fantastic. When we moved into that building it was state of the art at the time, and in fact several (business college) deans came to visit us because of the unique things we were doing. One dean from South Carolina brought a whole contingent, and they spent two days with us. At the time, we were top dogs because of what we had built.
Sandmeyer: I had an office by myself, and it was airconditioned. Those are the two things I remember. We shared the building with sociology, and the reason we did that is because they got a grant from the federal government, and we were going to have interdisciplinary studies between business and sociology. But we never talked to one another. They were on the fourth floor, and the only interaction we had was if we got on the elevator with them.
What was most impressive to you about the new building?
Sandmeyer: We thought it was a great building. Again, you just have to know that we were in Morrill Hall, and Morrill Hall was not great. We were excited to be in a building where you had an office to yourself.
Krull: We taught in rooms 101, 102 and 103, and they were tiered classrooms. We had a chalkboard that ran from the door to the wall, tiered seating, a podium, air conditioning … we had it all. It was like getting into a new car with the new smell.
Poole: What I remember the most is we had office space to bring the faculty together, and we had research space.
How excited were the students?
Poole: The students started calling the building the Poole Hall, and they really got a kick out of it. I talked to the student leaders about taking care of it. I put faith in them, and they delivered. The students really did like it.
Krull: There was an excitement of moving into a new building. There was just a general excitement among the faculty, the students and the staff. And there was a pride in it.
What impact will the new building have?
Krull: Just an overall increase in the esprit de corps among the faculty, staff and students. A renewed pride in the Spears School of Business as evidenced by how they treat their home away from home. A showcase for others to come, those who are loyal stakeholders and those who are visitors. A venue for extension education, and all the things that we do that include technology-enabled delivery. It will be a place that others will envy.
Poole: The new building is just awe inspiring to me. I look back now at what we had— ours looks like peanuts, but we were impressed. I think it’s going to have a big impact on the prestige of the school, as well as attracting students and very helpful in attracting quality faculty. I take great pride in it. I just get so excited every time I look at it. The building we moved into 50 years ago was a step up high on the mountain, but this new building is going to take us to the pinnacle. I couldn’t be more excited.