Michigan Ross School of Business

The first formal reference to commercial education at the University of Michigan was made in 1900-01, with courses offered through the College of Literature, Science and the Arts' Department of Economics. The number of commercial courses in the department expanded steadily, and in 1904-05 a "Certificate of Commerce" was authorized for those who had specialized in the field. Growth, both in terms of students and courses continued, with a sudden upswing of interest immediately after World War I leading to the decision to create a separate School of Business Administration. Preliminary plans for the school were begun in 1922, but significant progress occurred after February 1923, with the hiring of Edmund Ezra Day as chairman of the Department of Economics. Day came to Michigan with an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and a Ph.D. from Harvard. He was authorized to found the new school which was formally established in 1924, with Day serving both as dean and also as Economics chairman. Day's tenure, however, was relatively short. He took a leave of absence during 1927-28, and formally resigned his post soon afterward to join the Rockefeller Foundation.

In Day's absence Clare E. Griffin, who was professor of marketing, was first named acting dean, and was formally appointed to the post in 1929. Griffin had received his undergraduate degree from Albion College and a Ph.D. from Illinois in 1918. Under Day and Griffin the school's curriculum was largely patterned after that of Harvard, focusing upon graduate education. Admission to the school was preceded by three years study in the liberal arts. The school awarded two degrees, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a doctorate (beginning in 1935). Perhaps because of the focus upon graduate education, the school did not follow the custom of the day in recruiting businessmen to serve as part-time faculty. Rather, a full-time, academically-trained, staff was retained.

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