In 1928, the school was founded on the idea that business and government might become partners in promoting national prosperity and international development. Beginning with a $1 million endowment from The Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction, GW President Cloyd H. Marvin established what was known as the School of Government, with degree programs that integrated business and politics on the national and international levels.[5]
In 1960, the school was renamed the School of Government, Business, and International Affairs. In 1966, President Lloyd H. Elliott split its faculties into a new School of Government and Business Administration (SGBA) and a School of International Affairs—which today bears President Elliott's name. The SGBA was renamed the School of Business and Public Management in 1990. In 2004, it became the School of Business.
Throughout its history, the GW School of Business has attracted leaders from academia, government, and the business world. In 1992, F. David Fowler, a managing partner of KPMG, became dean of the school. He was succeeded in July 1998 by Susan M. Phillips. A former member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, Dean Phillips brought to the School her expertise in such specializations as derivatives, bank supervision, and financial management.
Shew as succeeded in August 2010 by Doug Guthrie, whose expertise lies in the fields of leadership and organizational change, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, and economic reform in China.[6] He was succeeded by Dean Livingstone. During her tenure at GWSB, her research was focused on creativity in business organizations. In April 2017, Livingstone left GWSB in order to become President of Baylor University, and Vivek Choudhury replaced her as the interim Dean.[7] In July 2018, Anuj Mehrotra became GWSB Dean.
In January 2006, the GW School of Business opened its new unified complex, the Ric and Dawn Duquès Hall, which was newly constructed, and the renovated Norma Lee and Morton Funger Hall.
Academics
The school is currently led by Vanessa Perry, M.B.A., Ph.D., professor of marketing, strategic management and public policy who began serving as interim dean on January 1, 2024. The dean is supported by a wide-ranging advisory board.[8][9]
At the undergraduate level, the school offers eight majors, ten concentrations with the option of an individualized concentration, and eight minors. [11] At the graduate level, the school awards MBAs, specialized master's, and PhD degrees. GWSB also offers different degrees as fully online programs.[12]
The school offers and has offered various other specialized programs and degrees in the past, like part-time and accelerated (one-year) MBAs, specialized MBA programs for law firms or specialized MBAs for athletes.[13][14][15][16]
The school also offers a Global and Experiential Education program (G&EE), providing students with a range of international study and educational options.[17] Female enrollment at GWSB was over 40% in 2015.[18]
Herman Aguinis - American researcher and professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management. Current Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Management,[29] ranked among the top 96 most influential Economics and Business researchers in the world.[30]
Annamaria Lusardi - Denit Trust Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Economics and Accountancy, who also serves as the Academic Director of the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center[31]