KU School of Business celebrating centennial over 2024–25 academic year

The start of the 2024–25 academic year marked 100 years since the School of Business was established at the University of Kansas.

To commemorate its centennial, the school is hosting events and activities for its students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends throughout the coming school year.

The school also has created a dedicated webpage at business.ku.edu/100 that features a celebratory video, a timeline of milestones from the past 100 years, information about the school’s beginnings, and a form to collect stories and memories.

The School of Business kicked off its yearlong centennial celebration with an Aug. 15 event at Capitol Federal Hall with former and current faculty and staff, Dean’s Advisory Board and Deans Club members, KU leaders, including deans and directors, and state and local officials. Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Commerce David Toland, a KU graduate, shared remarks about business education and its positive impact on the state.

Students received a KU School of Business centennial T-shirt at the annual Back-to-School BBQ on Sept. 4.

Business students received a centennial T-shirt at the school’s annual Back-to-School BBQ for its faculty, staff and students on Sept. 4. The school also hosted a young alumni event in Kansas City for graduates of the past 15 years in the Lawrence, Wichita and Kansas City areas on Sept. 12.

“We are excited to be celebrating a century of excellence in business education at KU,” said KU School of Business Interim Dean Susan Scholz. “The school’s dynamic history reflects the hard work and efforts of countless individuals over the past 100 years. As we celebrate our school’s beginnings, we honor those contributions and look forward to what the future holds for the KU School of Business.”

KU established the School of Business in July of 1924 simply by including it in the university’s budget for 1924–25. Frank T. Stockton served as the school’s first dean and also was its longest-serving dean, stepping down in 1947.

Less than a year after the school was formed, the KU School of Business was admitted in May 1925 to membership in the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business, now called the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The school and its accounting program continue to hold AACSB accreditations today.

Upcoming KU Business Centennial events

• Jan. 27–31: Merchants Week | Capitol Federal Hall | A week of lunch-and-learn programming for KU Business students, inspired by KU’s Merchants Week programming from 1914–22.
• March 11/12 (exact time, date dependent on KU seed): Big 12 Tournament Pre-Game Party | Kansas City, Missouri | More info TBA
• May 9: Centennial Closing Celebration | Capitol Federal Hall | More info TBA

Planned giving initiative

In honor of its 100-year history, the KU School of Business Endowment Development Team has set a goal for 100 alumni to provide planned gifts of $100,00 or more throughout KU’s Ever Onward capital campaign to benefit the school.

For more information on making a planned gift, contact David Byrd-Stadler, Development Director and Team Lead, KU School of Business, at dstadler@kuendowment.org.