History

G. W. HaworthWho is G. W. Haworth? As one of just two named colleges at Western Michigan University, the Haworth College of Business and the Haworth family, owners of furniture giant Haworth Inc., teamed up to build a modern facility to house the college. Opened in 1991, Schneider Hall is the official home of the Haworth College of Business. Haworth is a 1937 graduate of WMU. His son, Dick Haworth, chairman emeritus of Haworth, Inc., is a 1964 graduate of the WMU College of Business.

1940s

  • Established in 1949 as the Department of Business Studies, the college has become a leader in business education and research.

1950s

  • In 1956, the department was designated as the school of business with two departments: accounting and general business.
  • In 1958, the Department of Business Education was established.

1960s

Photo of East Hall

Classes met in East Hall for many years before the college moved to its current home, Schneider Hall, in 1991.

Classes met in East Hall for many years before the college moved to its current home, Schneider Hall, in 1991.
  • The first Bachelor and Master of Business Administration degrees were granted in 1953 and 1961, respectively, starting a tradition of business education excellence.
  • In 1962, the Departments of Management and Marketing were founded.
  • The college established an MBA program in Grand Rapids in 1964.
  • The Master of Science in Accountancy program began offering courses.
Photo of administrative business course

1970 West Hall business education lab.

1970s

1980s

  • Accreditation for graduate programs was granted in 1981. Graduate and undergraduate programs have been reaccredited.
  • The college of business is renamed the Haworth College of Business after Haworth Inc. founder G. W. Haworth supports its capital campaign.
  • The business education department was renamed the Department of Business Information Systems Department, and the general business department became the Department of Finance and Commercial Law.

1990s

Photo of Schneider Hall

Schneider Hall, on WMU's campus, houses the Haworth College of Business.

  • In 1991, the college moved to its current building, Schneider Hall, named for the founding dean, Arnold Schneider.
  • The Integrated Supply Management program launched in 1992 as one of the first undergraduate business programs to incorporate engineering disciplines into its core curriculum.
Students standing at a counter

Business Broncos have access to resources from the career center. Visit the career center website.

2000s

  • The addition of a dedicated career center provides additional support to business students by engaging them in career development experiences that help them to launch satisfying careers. In 2015, the center was named the Charles and Lynn Zhang Career Center.
  • In 2009, the internationally known Food and Consumer Package Goods Marketing program celebrated its 50th year.
  • The Greenleaf Trust Trading Room, located in the main corridor of Schneider Hall, brought the excitement of a Wall Street trading floor to Schneider Hall. The room includes stock prices scrolling across an electronic ticker, Bloomberg and Morningstar terminals providing real-time data on market movements, and world news updates on large screens in the front of the room.

2010s

  • One of the top sales training facilities in the country—the Robert S. Kaiser Sales Negotiation and Leadership Lab—opens in the college, preparing sales and business marketing students to be the best with a state-of-the-art learning space. 
  • The Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy is founded to serve students, executives and the West Michigan business community by providing deeply immersive opportunities that combine education and professional business experience.

  • Western Michigan University's Center for Business Analytics is established and serves as a hub for analytics in research, education, community collaboration and industry practice across disciplines.  

  •  The Sanford Center for Financial Planning and Wellness is created to serve students and community members by promoting financial literacy and financial planning through workshops, seminars, summer camps and research. 

  •  The Student Professional Readiness Series program begins and provides students with the career readiness competencies that employers desire, guiding them in cultivating interpersonal skills, leadership attributes and professional competencies through co-curricular programming. 

     

Arnold Schneider in front of the School of Business sign

Founding dean, Arnold Schneider

Deans of the College

  • 1947-74: Arnold Schneider
  • 1974-92: Darrell Jones
  • 1992-93: Lowell Crow—interim
  • 1993-96: David Vellenga
  • 1996-97: F. William McCarty—interim
  • 1997-04: James Schmotter
  • 2004-06: Ed Edwards—interim
  • 2006-09: David Shields
  • 2009-10: Ajay Samant—interim
  • 2010-2016: Kay Palan
  • 2016-2017: Satish Deshpande—interim
  • 2018-present: Satish Deshpande

Spotlights