Business Oregon history

Although Oregon adopted its first anti-abortion law in 1854, Portland's first prosecution of a "criminal operation" (abortion) did not occur for nearly twenty years.

The institution that would eventually become Oregon State University was incorporated in 1858 and named Corvallis College.

The school began offering a college-level curriculum in 1865, and three years later the institution was officially sanctioned as the Agricultural College of the State of Oregon, later to be renamed Oregon Agricultural College.

1876 University of Oregon founded.

Associated Oregon Industries (AOI) was founded in Salem in 1895 and grew to become the most influential business organization in the state.

After helping to found the Historical Society in 1898, the board hired him as the first curator.

1900 Business curriculum announced in the university catalog.

By 1904, the college had granted its first commerce degrees.

However, the College of Business traces its official beginnings to 1908, when OAC solidified its commitment to business education by establishing the School of Commerce.

1914 School of Commerce founded, making the UO one of the first four-year schools in the nation to offer a commerce curriculum.

1916 Oregon Hall (now Peterson Hall) is built.

1917: The School of Commerce features the largest number of students since its establishment.

1922: Dean Bexell plans Commerce Hall, which is erected at a cost of $180,000 and occupied for the first time during the 1922-23 school year.

1923 First MBA awarded.

The society's work became more visible when in 1925 its quarterly journal began publishing the results of research by Lewis A. (Tam) McArthur into the origin of Oregon place-names.

1929 Oregon State Legislature creates the State Board of Higher Education

1933: Despite the merger with the School of Business Administration at the University of Oregon, the Oregon State Board of Higher Education authorizes OAC to provide a four-year curriculum in secretarial science.

1937: Oregon Agricultural College is renamed Oregon State College.

1947-48: The Division of Business and Industry is renamed the School of Business and Technology.

1950: The School of Business and Technology is the largest school on the Oregon State College campus, with a graduating class of 319 students.

1951: Dean Maser takes a yearlong sabbatical to become an administrator of a refugee resettlement project in western Germany and Austria.

1952 Commonwealth Hall is built to connect Oregon Hall and Commerce Hall (subsequently renamed Gilbert East and West, respectively) accommodate an enrollment of 942 and a faculty and staff 42.

After more than a half-century of struggle, funded by private donations and a tiny but continuing state appropriation, OHS hired its first full time director in 1954.

1957 First faculty endowment funded and named, the Miner Chair in Real Estate and Insurance.

1958 First center of excellence founded, the Forest Industries Management Center, providing a forum for research and information exchange with industry.

1959 College sends an economic advisory envoy to Korea to help improve its economy following the Korean War.

1961: Oregon State College is renamed Oregon State University.

1963: The School of Business and Technology publishes Northwest Business Management, a business magazine released four times a year, with a $4 annual subscription fee.

1964 European Exchange Program in Business Administration (also known as the Nijenrode Exchange Program) launched for faculty and students in partnership with the Nijenrode School of Business in The Netherlands.

1973 Catherine Jones becomes the first women to serve as assistant dean of undergraduate studies.

1974: The undergraduate office plans to offer studies in hotel, motel, resort and restaurant management.

An oral history program began in 1975 and quickly set a national standard.

1978 Under the leadership of Dean Jim Reinmuth, the college redefines its operating philosophy to “develop and integrate established teaching and research activities with an authentic working relationship with the business community.

1979 College receives its first computers thanks to the vision and foresights of Miles E. and Eleanor McKay.

1981: A computer lab is established in the school, funded largely by private dollars.

1985: The Austin Family Business Program is created.

1986: An alumni group called the Young Directors Circle is established to maintain close ties with alumni, assist undergraduates in transitioning from an academic to a professional environment, and facilitate idea exchanges.

1987: The Applied Technology Group (now called Business Solutions Group) is created.

1988: The college establishes the Excellence in Family Business Awards to honor the accomplishments and contributions of family businesses and to recognize their innovation, entrepreneurship, commitment and community involvement.

1989 Accounting program first accredited by AACSB.

1991: Donald F. Parker becomes dean, and the college begins a significant transformation toward the use of technology.

After an interim period led by Vaughan's longtime assistant director, Millard McClung, Chet Orloff was named executive director in 1992.

1994 Pleased with his initial investment, Charles H. Lundquist creates a $10-million endowment for the college of business.

1997: First class enrolls in the Professional Management Institute, a program of study designed for mid- and upper-level managers and business owners in the area.

The Oregon Business Association (OBA) was founded in Portland in 2000 as a nonpartisan voice for business committed to collaboration and problem-solving.

Those efforts culminated in the creation of the Oregon Cultural Trust in 2001, with the society one of the five official partners.

2002-03: Business & Information Technology Extension pilots business and technology education in two Oregon counties.

2003-04: The Austin Entrepreneurship Program at Weatherford Residential College is created and becomes one of the nation’s first living-learning environments devoted exclusively to entrepreneurship.

2005: The Close to the Customer Project launches, giving students the opportunity to develop professional skills, take on project management roles, and become workforce-ready market researchers.

2006: The university formally approves the college’s transformation into a professional school.

2008: The College of Business celebrates its centennial.

2010 Hope Anstett gives $5 million to enable the renovations of Gilbert Hall.

2012: The School of Design and Human Environment joins the College of Business.

Prior to 2013, the executive MBA program was a joint venture between the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University.

2014: OSU's first capital campaign finishes after raising $1.14 billion; the college welcomes the first cohort of Ph.D. students; Austin Hall opens in September.

2015 The college gets official approval to launch its new master of science in sports product management program in Portland.

2016: The College of Business opens a Portland, Oregon, headquarters to support the hybrid MBA program, 80 percent online classes administered through OSU's Ecampus and 20 percent on-site in Portland.

The library launched in 2017 the Oregon Digital Collections site, which shares digitized files of the Society’s historical photographs and documents.