 Historical Overview
From its beginnings in 1868, rudimentary business training was an established part of the curriculum of Corvallis College (OSU). A two-year collegiate course in commerce, organized in 1898, had grown into a full four-year curriculum by 1900. Along with agriculture, home economics, and engineering, the School of Commerce became one of the four major schools of Oregon Agricultural College—and among the first 12 schools of commerce in the nation.
The First Dean
When John Andrew Bexell organized the School of Commerce in 1908, there were three faculty members and 105 students.
During his tenure, Dean Bexell developed the School until it became the largest among the ten degree-granting divisions on campus. An underlying principle of the Dean’s organization of commercial education and approach to teaching was his slogan, "There is a business side to every occupation." The School of Commerce therefore provided general management education in close support of other schools in the College. The number of students enrolled from other schools was regularly larger than the number of business majors.
In 1922, following a nationwide study of buildings deemed appropriate for business administration, Dean Bexell planned Commerce Hall (now Bexell Hall).
When Dean Bexell retired in 1931, the School had more than 40 faculty members, many of them distinguished as specialists, and more than 1,000 enrolled students. Also enrolled were an additional 3,000 students from other schools in the College.
The School of Business and Technology
With World War II there was a need for more people trained in commerce. In 1943, the State Board of Higher Education approved a definite curriculum in Business and Technology, "...to be put into immediate operation on a flexible basis permitting the student to prepare for war and post-war services." By 1946, over 1,000 students were enrolled. The Division was renamed the School of Business and Technology.
The Oregon State College program offered a degree in Business Administration with opportunities for specialization (known as "options") such as accounting, banking, and marketing.
Unique to Oregon State College’s business program was the requirement of a non-business technical minor, which provided business students with training in agriculture, forestry, home economics, engineering, and other disciplines.
The School of Business and Technology was accredited in 1960 by the AACSB.
By 1966, the technical minors had been supplemented by broader-based minors in science, industrial engineering, and applied mathematics. In later years, the School approved additional minors in liberal arts and social sciences.
Oregon State University was granted authority to offer the Master of Business Administration degree in 1965.
Transition and Technology
Earl Goddard became Dean in 1967. During his tenure, the College experienced an overwhelming increase in business majors. The phenomenal growth peaked in 1981 with slightly over 3,000 students.
M. Lynn Spruill became Dean in 1984. During this time, the Family Business Program was created to provide much-needed support to family-owned businesses in Oregon. Dean Spruill was the first person to occupy the chair endowed by 1958 graduate Sara Hart Kimball. In 1991, Donald F. Parker became Dean and the College began a significant transformation toward the use of technology for teaching and student use.
Today’s College of Business
The College of Business, under the leadership of Dean Ilene Kleinsorge, now serves more than 2000 undergraduate business students in seven options; provides graduate management education to almost 90 MBA candidates; and provides a transcript-visible minor in business to over 300 business minors. In addition, more than 1600 students from other colleges take business courses each year.
Brief History of Oregon State University
Oregon State University began as Corvallis College in 1858. By 1870, two men and one woman had fulfilled requirements for the baccalaureate degree, becoming the first graduates of a State-assisted college in the western United States. Today, OSU has developed into a major teaching, research and public service institution.
Other significant dates in the history of OSU are the following:
1868 Designated a Land Grant institution
1885 Corvallis College renamed Oregon Agricultural College
1927 Renamed Oregon State Agricultural College
1937 Renamed Oregon State College
1961 Renamed Oregon State University
1968 Designated a Sea Grant university
1960s-1980s Arts and humanities began to achieve prominence
1970s-1980s Rapid growth in research
1976 Designated a Carnegie Research I University
1991 Designated a Space Grant university | 
