History of the David Eccles School of Business
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The David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah has a long history of excellence in business education that spans more than 100 years. From its beginnings in 1896 as part of the Economics and Sociology Department, it quickly became obvious that there was a great need to educate students in the ways of business. In 1917, it became the School of Commerce and Finance, and enrolled a respectable 126 students in its first year as an official school. In less than 80 years, that enrollment figure has increased over 25 times. Today, the David Eccles School of Business educates nearly 3,500 students in four departments of study, housed in four buildings all designed with the purpose of business education. In little more than 100 years, the David Eccles School has risen to the forefront of business excellence.
In 1927, the name of the school was changed to "School of Business" and course divisions included Accounting, Distribution and Production, Finance, and Economics. In 1933, the first graduate degrees were awarded. The School of Business was officially accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business in August 1936, making the School of Business one of the first in the country to receive the industry's highest accreditation standard.
In 1955, the MBA program was instituted at the School of Business, making it the first of its kind between the Rockies and the Pacific. The first MBA degrees were awarded in 1957, and the school's departments were reorganized to Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing.
In 1966 with enrollment approaching 1,600, the School of Business packed up and moved to the building complex that currently serves as its home. With the construction of the Business Classroom Building, Kendall D. Garff Building, and the Francis Armstrong Madsen Building, the School of Business finally had a place to teach business education to a growing student population.
During the 1970's, the School of Business focused on expanding its international business component along with increasing its faculty and incoming student qualifications. Throughout the 1980's and 1990's, the School's goal was to become a leader in the use of information technology and it became one of the first business schools in the country with a network accessible to students and faculty.
In 1991, the School of Business was named the David Eccles School of Business to honor one of Utah's most prominent and successful frontier industrialists. David Eccles founded 48 businesses in various sectors throughout Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming during the latter part of the 19th century. A $15 million endowment was given by Eccles youngest daughter, Emma Eccles Jones, to honor her late father's legacy.
In 2000, the C. Roland Christensen Center was opened. The Christensen Center provides a learning environment where students and faculty can interact with one another and continues to provide broad access to technology and space for students to study and interact.
In 2006, the David Eccles School of Business launched a capital campaign to remodel its three original business buildings. The new complex will add an additional 25,000 square feet to accommodate recent and projected growth. In addition, the newly renovated buildings will add interactive spaces where students can exchange ideas and provide new technology with state-of-the-art equipment and classrooms fitted for today's learning environment.
