General Information

The teaching of business and management at Howard University began in 1870, when the Board of Trustees established a Commercial School, which operated in conjunction with the Freedman’s Savings Bank and Trust Company. When the bank closed, the School was discontinued until 1903, at which time it was reopened to offer college level courses leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. This arrangement continued until the School of Commerce and Finance was established in 1919. The School of Commerce and Finance operated independently for six years before it was absorbed by the College of Liberal Arts, (now the College of Arts and Sciences) as the Department of Commerce and Finance. The department was expanded in 1946 to include separate disciplinary studies in accounting, marketing, and real estate/insurance. 

The present-day School of Business was founded in 1970. Dr. Milton Wilson served as its first Dean. There were only 12 faculty members at that time. The School of Business now has a distinguished faculty of over 80 members, who serve over 1,500 students each year and produce a broad array of scholarly research. The School of Business prepares students to become responsible citizens and ethical business persons as it provides a professional education for management careers in business, government, and public sector institutions. As a part of a traditionally black university, the School is especially concerned with developing a foundation for entrepreneurship and cultivating an aura that promotes the importance of active participation in civic and community affairs. 

Business classes are taught in a modern 103,000 square foot facility that contains elaborate computer laboratories for student use; a library that is rated among the best in the Washington metropolitan area; and a 300-seat auditorium, equipped with computer monitoring facilities. The building also houses special centers for small business development, accounting education, insurance, and banking. A professional development center enhances the professional skills of students and a placement office links students to job opportunities in the business and government sectors. As a unit of Howard University, the School of Business is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges. The undergraduate, graduate, and accounting programs are accredited by the AACSB-International Association for Management Education. 

Mission 

The mission of the School of Business of Howard University is to provide a comprehensive business and management education to students of high academic potential with particular emphasis upon the provision of educational opportunities for promising African-American students who may not otherwise have an opportunity to acquire an education of the type provided at Howard. Further, the School is dedicated to attracting and sustaining a cadre of faculty who, through their teaching and research, are committed to developing solution for the business and management problems in the United States and throughout the world. 

Vision 

The vision of the School of Business, Vision 21, is defined and necessarily directed by the historical mission and core values of Howard University. As such, the School of Business must strive for excellence in providing management education and in producing research that seeks a solution to global business problems. Vision 21 provides that the School of Business develop an agenda that reflects the needs of its core constituency (African-Americans and people of color) and is recognized as a school of choice (undergraduate and graduate) by this constituency. Further, the School of Business must be a major contributor to the dialogue concerning economic empowerment for people of color and must also be recognized for producing research on economic empowerment and entrepreneurship. The sum of Vision 21 is that the School of Business must create uniqueness in management education, research, and service that only Howard University can provide.