Past Directors/Deans of Laurier's School of Business & Economics:

Herman Overgaard (1966 – 1967)
Glenn Carroll (1967 – 1970)
John Jenkins (1970 – 1974)
Max D. Stewart (1974 – 1982)
J. Alex Murray (1982 – 1996)
A. Scott Carson (1996 – 2006)
Ginny Dybenko (2006 - 2011)

Dr. William Banks (2011 - present)

SBE Anniversaries celebrated in 2011:

SBE celebrated 45 years

Prism celebrated 20 years
MBA part-time program celebrated 35 years
MBA full-time program celebrated 25 years
Business & Administration & Mathematics double degree celebrated 10 years

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Historical Overview of SBE: 1960-2011

2011

• Unveiling of the CA Gold Medal Wall of Fame. Since 1993 SBE accounting graduates have achieved gold more than any other Canadian University at both the national and provincial level in the annual chartered accounting uniform final exams. (Read the official press release here...)
• Laurier announces the creation of Canada's first Chair in Brand Communication, Dr. Brad Davis, to establish Laurier as a national centre for brand education. (Read the official press release here...)
• Government of Ontario announces investment of $72.6 million towards the new Global Innovation Exchange (GIE) facility that will house business and math programs. Marks the largest single capital investment in WLU history.
• First in Canada of offer a Master of Science in Technology Management Program (EMTM).

2010

• SBE featured in the Princeton Review "The Best 300 Business Schools". (Read the official press release here...)

2009

• First in Canada to offer MBA students use of a BlackBerry as part of their curriculum - MBA Mobile e-learning Pilot Project. (Read the official press release here...)

2008

• New Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management set to begin in September 2008. (Read the official press release here...)

2007

• Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) MBA introduced as first of its kind in Canada. (Read the official press release here...)
• Set to begin September 2008, announcement of first Canadian full-time Co-op Master of Finance program specifically designed around CFA exams. (Read the official press release here...)
• First Canadian Master of Science that focuses exclusively on Supply Chain Management (SCM) to open September 2008. (Read the official press release here...)

2006

• First Betty & Peter Sims Professorship in Entrepreneurship, Dr. Benson Honig.
• Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies appoints the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR), Richard Wagner.
• MBA Co-op program begins.
• CA program receives accreditation.

2005

• Launch of the Centre for the Study of Nascent Entrepreneurship and the eXploitation of Technology (NeXt).
• First education institution to receive the Oracle/SCL Innovation Award from Supply Chain & Logistics Canada (SCL). (Read the official press release here...)
• PhD program launched.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants and WLU open the CA/Laurier Centre for the Advancement of Accounting Research and Education. (Read the official press release here...)

2004

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International has accredited Laurier's Undergrad and Graduate Business Programs.  AACSB represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools around the world. (Read the official press release here...)

2003

• Progistic-Solutions Inc donates $50,000 to establish the Supply Chain Management Research Centre. (Read the official press release here...)
• Open the CMA Canada Centre of Excellence in Management Accounting for small and medium-sized Enterprises.  Only facility of its kind in Canada. (Read the official press release here...)

2002

• First and only time appointed a Chair in Management of Technology Enterprise, Dr. Paul Vincett.
• First Executive Director of the new Centre for Entrepreneurship announced, Steve Farlow.

2001

• SBE appoints first Chair of Enterprise Integration and Technology Management (EITM), Dr. Hamid Noori.
• CMA Canada grants WLU's Honours BBA program special accreditation. Only Ontario university to receive accreditation. (Read the official press release here...)
• Introduction of Business Administration & Mathematics double degree with University of Waterloo.

2000

• WLU receives one of the largest increases in number of applications in the province and greatest increase among area universities. (Read the official press release here...)

1999

• SBE & CMA Canada announce partnership that allows learners to jointly earn, for the first time in Canada, a professional accounting designation and a graduate degree in record time. (Read the official press release here...)
• Appointed SBE's and Ontario's first Chair in Insurance, Dr. Peter Carayannopoulos.
• WLU offers it's first e-commerce course, Marketing Electronic Business

1998

• WLU alumnus Bob Schlegel and his wife contribute funds to the addition of the Frank C. Peters Building, and to the creation of the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies. (Read the official press release here...)

1997

• SBE announces creation of Diploma in Financial Planning. First diploma of its kind in an English Canadian University. (Read the official press release here...)
• MBA program offered part-time in Toronto.

1996

• First Economical Insurance Group Professorship in Finance, Dr. Ben Amoako-Adu.

1994

• Creation of Financial Services Research Centre (FSRC) with first Director, Brian Smith.
• Laurier Institute offers two new programs in Toronto for CMA's to broaden their skills; SMAO Master Manager Program and Consultancy Practice Skills session.

1993

• SBE announces formation of the Dean's Advisory Council (DAC).

1992

• WLU offers a Business diploma in Trinidad & Tobago at the University fo West Indies. (Read the official press release here...)
• Offer first Canadian Masters of Arts in Business Economics (MABE). (Read the official press release here...)

1991

• Providing Resources for Information Systems Management (PRISM) begins. (Click here to read a related press release...)

1988

• Establish the Laurier Trade Development Center.
• WLU selected along with York University and University of Toronto to form the Ontario Centre of International Business. (Read the official press release here...)

1987

• The inaugural Laurier Outstanding Business Leader Award presented to Hugh Sloan, President of Budd Canada Inc. (Read the official press release here...)

1986

• WLU is the first Canadian University to offer a one-year MBA program full-time.
• Announces first Executive-in-Residence, Christopher R. Batch, Senior Partner with Arthur Anderson & Company.

1985

• Introduction of the Research Centre for Management of Advanced Technology (REMAT), lead by Dr. Hamid Noori. (Read the official press release here...)

1984

• Eight students from China arrived at WLU to participate in the new Canada-China human resources development training program administered by the World Universal Service of Canada. (Read the official press release here...)
• Increasing application rates result in higher acceptance standards.  SBE increases minimum requirements to 70 per cent for honours economics and 76.5 per cent for honours BA.

1983

• Dr. Tom Diggory named first President of the new Laurier Institute for Business & Economic Studies.
• WLU Stock Market competition becomes a national event.

1982

• Laurier celebrates the first woman to graduate from the MBA program, Ruby Weber. (Read the official press release here...)

1980

• SBE celebrates the official opening of the new Frank C. Peters building. (Read the official press release here...)

1979

• The Economics Department begins their co-op program.

1978

• Laurier announces the first student to complete the new MBA program, David Michael.  Additional graduates included Pat Bourke, John Lauer, Udo Salewsky. 

1976

• Dr. Basl Healey, Director of Laurier's Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program announces the first intake of students to the part-time MBA evening program. (Read the official press release here...)

1975

• A first for business programs in Ontario, SBE introduces Business Co-op. (Read the official press release here...)

1973

• On November 1, 1973, Waterloo Lutheran University became Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU).

1972

• Canada's only on-campus TSX ticker is installed in the SBE building. (Read the official press release here...)

1971

• SBE commences cooperation with the Department of Math at University of Waterloo.

1970

• First specialized accounting courses offered at Waterloo Lutheran University in preparation for Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. (Read the official press release here...)

1968

• Creation of the Waterloo Luthern University (WLU) Stock Market competition. (more information, past and present) 

1966

• The Waterloo Lutheran University Senate approves that the School of Business & Economics be established with four departments as of September 1st. (Read the official press release here...)

1965

• An International Business Program is established under the sponsorship of the External Aid Office of the Government of Canada, bringing individuals from developing countries to Waterloo Lutheran University to study. (Read the official press release here...)

1960

• A full-time honours business program begins with the first eight degrees being conferred in May of 1962.

Updated March 2012