School History
D'Amore-McKim's 100-year history is one of change and innovation, fueled by the state of the world and market demands. It's change aimed at deepening our global impact, preparing our students for a dynamic and diverse future, and ever expanding the possibilities of our experience-powered learning legacy.
The history of the D'Amore-McKim School of Business is deeply intertwined with the university's, dating back to its earliest days of existence when commerce and industry courses were offered by the School of Commerce and Finance of the Boston YMCA.
The College of Business Administration (CBA) was established in 1922 and offered Northeastern's first full-time business programs, and by 1924 the college was incorporating cooperative education into its curriculum. In 1960, all business programs offered as part of the university's Evening Division were merged with the CBA, completing a fusion of day and evening programs of instruction. The college was accredited in 1962.
The university launched its first Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in 1951 as part of its Evening Division, and in 1958 the program became part of the Graduate School. The university's first full-time graduate business day program was offered in 1963 as part of theGraduate School of Business Administration, which became accredited in 1973. The school launched several specialized master's degree programs over the years, and in 2006 it began offering one of the first accredited Online MBA programs.
The Graduate School of Professional Accounting was established in 1965 when Board of Trustees member Harold Mock, a senior partner in a well-known Boston accounting firm, created awareness about the growing shortage of qualified persons entering his profession. The Masters of Science in Professional Accounting was launched at this time.
The college began to focus on ways to bring an international perspective to its students in the 1980's. Exchange programs with other schools began, and the college started hiring its first international faculty members. By 1990, an international focus had become an integral part of the college's identity, and in 1993 the Bachelor of Science in International Business program was introduced.
In 2012, alumni Richard D'Amore and Alan McKim joined forces to make the largest philanthropic investment in the university's history. As a result of their combined $60 million gift, Northeastern's College of Business Administration became the D'Amore-McKim School of Business – the first college or school to be named at Northeastern.
Scroll through 100 years of D'Amore-McKim
Northeastern establishes the College of Business Administration
Northeastern offered various business classes from its start in 1898, many of which were held in the Boston YMCA building (pictured left). In 1922, the university created a formal “day school” for business and named it the College of Business Administration (CBA).
Turner F. Garner named Dean
Garner served as dean from 1922-1928 and helped establish the college as a leader in experiential business education by leveraging cooperative education.
CBA adopts the “Co-operative Plan”
After the Engineering program found success with it, the new College of Business Administration started to incorporate cooperative education into its curriculum. Today, more than 2,300 D'Amore-McKim students experience co-op each year.
Carl S. Ell named Dean
Ell served from 1928-1935 while also serving as the dean of Engineering. He played a vital part in the development of the co-op program, and he also served as Northeastern's vice president between 1925-1940 and as the university's second president from 1940-1958. His impact at Northeastern is still felt today.
Wilfred S. Lake named Dean
Lake served as “dean of Instruction” from 1935-1939 while also serving as dean of Liberal Arts for many years. An Economics professor, he devoted nearly 50 years of his life to the university.
CBA classes held in newly-built Richards Hall
Richards Hall was the first building constructed by the university (pictured here in 1940), and it became CBA's home base. Today many business students meet here for in-person classes and to meet with the D'Amore-McKim Co-op Team.
Asa S. Knowles named Dean
Knowles helped formalize research efforts at Northeastern by serving as dean and director of the Bureau of Business Research from 1939-1942. He also served as Northeastern's third president from 1959–1975.
BS in Business Administration offerings
The CBA's BS in Business Administration program included six curricula at this time: Accounting, Banking and Finance, Marketing and Advertising, Industrial Administration, Journalism, and Public Administration. In consultation with industry partners, the program continues to evolve and now offers 11 combined majors and 16 concentrations.
Robert Bruce named acting Dean
Bruce served from 1942-1944. He retired from teaching at Northeastern in the early 1940s but returned to help in between administrations.
Northeastern's day programs now co-educational, six ground-breaking women admitted
Four of these students were in Liberal Arts, one was in Engineering, and one was in Business Administration. One said, “I'm sure they admitted us women in part because they needed students, but by the same token, we were treated just like the men.” Women are now a fundamental part of D'Amore-McKim, and in Fall 2021, the incoming class was 54% female.
Roger S. Hamilton named Dean
Hamilton served as dean from 1944-1965, the longest tenure of all deans in the college's history. Under his leadership, the college activated a Bureau of Business and Economic Research in 1952 and helped with the CBA/School of Business merger, accreditation, and the day MBA program launch, among other major college milestones.
First MBA program offered at Northeastern
The demand of the day was advanced business skills, so Northeastern developed its first MBA program. Students enrolled to study part-time through Northeastern's Evening College. In 1958, the MBA became part of Northeastern's new Graduate School that later merged with the College of Business Administration
Hayden Hall dedicated
The seventh building on campus, Hayden Hall was first known as the Classroom-Laboratory Building; later, it would be called Hayden Hall in recognition of a gift from the Charles Hayden Foundation. It was originally occupied by the Evening Division, the Department of Electrical Engineering, the CBA, and extensive instructional areas. Today, Hayden Hall is the administrative hub of D'Amore-McKim, housing the Dean's Office and all seven academic departments.
Evening School of Business merges with CBA
All business programs offered as part of the university's Evening College were merged with the CBA, completing a fusion of day and evening programs of instruction that created consistency for faculty and students. The college's Center for Management Development was also created at this time, which provided graduate-level management programs in executive development.
College earns AACSB accreditation
The day and evening college merger helped usher in this important CBA day-program accreditation that D'Amore-McKim maintains to this day. The Graduate School of Business Administration received its AACSB accreditation in 1973, and Professional Accounting programs followed suit in 1974.
Graduate School of Business Administration established
This new graduate school united all evening and daytime business students and launched the first full-time day MBA program.
Graduate School of Professional Accounting established
Board of Trustees member Harold Mock, a senior partner at Arthur Young & Company, created awareness about the growing shortage of qualified persons entering his profession. The Master of Science in Professional Accounting was launched at this time.
Harry E. Wilkinson named Dean
Wilkinson, who served as dean from 1965-1967, worked to capitalize on the uniqueness of the university's approach to experiential management education. When he stepped down, he did so to start his own business.
James S. Hekimian named Dean
Hekimian (standing, second on left) served as dean from 1968-1976. He led two strategic plans that involved college reorganization and program curriculum updates. Both focused on giving students greater flexibility and specialized programs around topics like international business, transportation management, and small business management.
Philip T. Crotty named acting Dean
Crotty served from 1976-1977.
Geoffrey Clarkson named Dean
Clarkson served from 1977-1979 during a time of unprecedented growth and greater demand for business education.
Executive MBA program introduced
Innovative for its time, the program anticipated the new emphasis on business. It involved an intensive 18-month weekend course for middle and senior-level managers who wanted to pursue a graduate degree while continuing to work full-time. Many of D'Amore-McKim's most successful alumni were students in this program. Its last cohort graduated in May 2016 as new programs designed for this audience emerged.
Philip McDonald named acting Dean
McDonald served in this capacity from 1979-1980. He was appointed dean in 1983 (more below).
David Blake named Dean
Blake served from 1980-1983. He emphasized the critical importance of building strong ties with the college's external community and is responsible for the creation of the Board of Visitors. His time at Northeastern was his first time serving as a college dean, but he went on to be the dean at four other top business schools.
College initiates global focus
In the 1980s, the CBA expanded efforts to bring international perspective to students. Exchange programs with other schools began, and the college started hiring its first international faculty members. By the end of the decade, an international focus had become an integral part of the college's identity.
CBA forms Board of Visitors
The college faced a challenge during the 1980s when business was undergoing an unprecedented popularity surge. It became important to identify genuine trends and implement programs responsive to those trends. To assist in making that distinction, the Board of Visitors was formed. Made up of top executives from major corporations in New England, the board offered advice and counsel on issues pertinent to management education programs. The board is still tremendously valuable today.
High Technology MBA introduced
This first-of-its-kind program was launched with the assistance of the Massachusetts High Tech Council and the General Electric Foundation. It reflected the need for training in new technology and related management practices. Its last cohort graduated in August 2015 as other graduate options, such as our new MBA x, emerged to fill these needs.
Philip McDonald named Dean
Three years after serving as an acting dean, McDonald was appointed dean and served from 1983-1987 until his untimely death. He worked to adapt academic offerings to the changing needs of the business community while aligning faculty expertise to those needs. He said, “New programs will be developed… only where those needs and the interests and expertise of the college's faculty converge.” McDonald was also part of several efforts to engage international students and introduce international business to students in Boston.
Thomas E. Moore named acting Dean
Moore served briefly in this capacity in 1987 after Dean McDonald's untimely death. He was appointed Dean in 2004 (more below).
David Boyd named Dean
Boyd served from 1987-1994. During his tenure, applications-oriented management began to grow rapidly, and the college was receiving national recognition for its research endeavors. He helped launch the new BS in International Business program in 1994 and led CBA's expansion into Dodge Hall in 1991.
CBA expansion into Dodge Hall
Dodge had served as Northeastern's library since it was erected in 1954 until the Snell Library was opened in 1990. CBA faculty, staff, and students moved in shortly after. Today, Dodge Hall houses our Graduate and Undergraduate programs offices, Graduate and Undergraduate lounge space, other faculty and staff offices, and classroom space.
Corporate Learning programs offered
The CBA's first effort in the custom executive learning arena kicked off with a just-in-time program for top-level managers at Fortune 500 Company EG&G. Today, the D'Amore-McKim Corporate and Professional Learning team works with corporate giants like GE, Novant Health, Hasbro, IBM, and Ericsson to offer tailored education delivered by some of our most prominent faculty in both virtual/digital and in-person formats.
MS in Taxation launched
The Graduate School of Professional Accounting created this first-of-its-kind taxation program uniquely tailored to help accounting professionals build the skills to be successful in a steadily changing industry. Today, D'Amore-McKim has continued to innovate by launching new programs like MS x to address the needs in this field.
CBA community buries time capsule in Dodge
It was an exciting time for the college. During Dodge Hall construction, a time capsule was buried with hopes that it would be opened on our 100th anniversary. D'Amore-McKim community members will be doing just that on Oct. 18, 2022. More details soon!
BS in International Business launched
By this time, business could no longer be defined by national borders. Business success was now known to require diverse skills and cultural agility. The new BS in International Business (BSIB) program was the first of its kind in the U.S. Going further than just offering international business courses, students become immersed in an international culture by taking courses abroad. For many years this was done with several partner institutions, but now students can take part in a much broader range of international experiences to fulfill this requirement, making it a popular degree today.
Ira R. Weiss named Dean
Serving as dean from 1994-2004, Weiss had an exceptionally strong background in the international and information technology areas. He earnestly forged new partnerships and alliances in Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America and strengthened partnerships on campus with other NU colleges.
MS in Finance launched
The first MS in Finance (MSF) class served working professionals in banking, investment, mutual funds, and insurance and held classes in Boston's financial district. Today, the quantitative finance curriculum develops financial leaders with the fintech skills required to navigate how technology is changing the financial services industry.
Center for Family Business joins CBA
Originally affiliated with the university's Center for Continuing Education, the center was the first university-based program in New England to provide specialized education for family business owners and managers. Today, as part of D'Amore-McKim, the center helps students learn about potential pitfalls, solve complex interpersonal and family business issues, and plan for future family business success in an ever-changing and increasingly more competitive environment. It is led by Senior Academic Specialist of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Center Executive Director Ted Clark.
Thomas E. Moore named Dean
Seventeen years after serving as acting dean and in other important CBA roles, Moore was appointed dean and served from 2004-2011. By all accounts, he put the college on a trajectory for tremendous success. The CBA's improved external rankings and reputation during his tenure are evidence of his achievements. He was very entrepreneurial and globally minded, and he led the launch of the new Online MBA and several prominent research centers. He was also actively involved in the negotiations around the naming of the college in 2012.
Accredited Online MBA program launches
To meet the varying needs of ambitious professionals, Northeastern introduced a new online format for its MBA program. Northeastern was one of the first institutions to offer an AACSB-accredited, fully-online MBA and has consistently ranked in the top 10 globally in the Financial Times. Since then, nearly every top business program has launched an online MBA to mirror our success. This fall, D'Amore-McKim's Online MBA will enroll its first students in a new and innovative curriculum focused on experience-powered learning.
MS in International Management (MSIM) launches
The MSIM program first started in formal partnership with several international schools, allowing students to study topics ranging from international trade to globalization in both the U.S. and one other country. Today, the program takes those topics to a new level and features several hands-on experiential consulting projects with global companies. It's offered in both full-time and part-time formats.
Center for Emerging Markets launches
The center, led by University Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy and Founding Director Ravi Ramamurti, is a leading research hub on how private and public organizations can leverage emerging markets for the global good. It has over 60 faculty fellows, is guided by a distinguished external advisory board, and maintains close ties with practitioners. It strives to integrate emerging markets into the education, research, and work experience of students.
Business Sustainability Initiative launches
This formal Initiative, founded by Executive Professor of Finance Ron Whitfield, encourages and supports programs that promote sustainability in research, teaching, and service, as well as collaborations with industry and other colleges at Northeastern.
Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE) opens
In 1996, the college created an Entrepreneurial Lab that hosted a business plan competition. Since then, entrepreneurship education has become a pillar of excellence at Northeastern. NUCEE was created in 2010 by founders McKim-D'Amore Distinguished Professor of Global Management and Innovation Daniel J. McCarthy, Founding Faculty Advisor of IDEA Dan Gregory, and Robert Shillman Professor of Entrepreneurship Marc Meyer. It provides university-wide, experiential entrepreneurship education and helps to design, build, and launch new ventures, and it helps run several important programs at Northeastern, including Mosaic, IDEA, and the McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network (VMN).
Henry (Harry) Lane named acting Dean
Lane, a prominent professor of International Business, served in this capacity from 2011-2012.
Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Research formed
The center was created to foster interdisciplinary research and education pertaining to health policy and health care delivery. center members, led by Professor of Strategic Management and Healthcare Systems and Founding Director Gary Young, frequently collaborate with health plans, hospitals, physician organizations, and other provider organizations within private industry to conduct innovative research studies that can promote the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of health care services.
Hugh Courtney named Dean
Courtney served from 2012-2017. He applied his expertise in business strategy and strategic decision-making to develop many new programs and initiatives. Under Courtney's leadership, the school established itself as one of the leading providers of online graduate business programs in the country.
Richard D'Amore, Alan McKim give largest philanthropic gift in university history
Thanks to a generous joint gift of $60 million from alumni Richard D'Amore, BA'76, and Alan McKim, MBA'88, CBA became the first named college or school at Northeastern: the D'Amore-McKim School of Business. We continue to build upon this legacy today. (Pictured from left to right: NU Board of Trustees Vice Chair Alan McKim, NU President Joseph E. Aoun, and NU Board of Trustees Chair Rich D'Amore)
MS in Innovation introduced
This degree caters to experienced professionals seeking ways to become resilient leaders. Students learn how to embrace challenges, evaluate business practices, promote new ideas, leverage lean development, and manage high-performance teams. Over time an online modality was added to allow flexibility for working professionals.
Center for Workforce Analytics formed
D'Amore-McKim's Center for Workforce Analytics, led by Distinguished Professor of Workforce Analytics, International Business and Strategy Group Chair, and Founding Director Mark Huselid, helps advance the science and practice of applied workforce measurement and analytics. Through the creation of close partnerships between the academic and practitioner communities, its mission is to promote the use of evidenced-based workforce management.
Raj Echambadi named inaugural Dunton Family Dean
From 2017-2021, Echambadi served as Dunton Family Dean, an endowed deanship made possible by an unprecedented gift from Gary Dunton, DMSB'78, and his wife Lea Anne. Under Echambadi's leadership, the school rose to new levels of excellence and impact, creating several new combined majors and concentrations in innovative fields. Programs like the first-of-its-kind MBA x are at the cutting edge of business education. Echambadi also established transformative corporate partnerships, such as one co-designed with PwC, to develop future leaders through online experiential learning opportunities.
MS in Business Analytics launches
Addressing the market need of the day, the MS in Business Analytics program was created to help students choose the right data, analyze it skillfully, and leverage it for strategic decisions. Courses provide exposure to data mining, statistical and quantitative analysis, multivariate testing, and predictive modeling.
The Digital, Analytics, Technology and Automation (DATA) Initiative is formed
The DATA Initiative, co-directed by Associate Professor of Marketing and Joseph G. Riesman Research Professor Yakov Bart and Distinguished Professor of Marketing Koen Pauwels, is a cross-disciplinary, innovative hub of thought leadership committed to researching, developing, and sharing new knowledge and approaches for transforming organizations into data-driven businesses. As an industry-academic collaborative, DATA connects academic scholars and business leaders to harness the strong feedback loops between research, scholarship, and industry connections, leading to new research insights and practical applications.
Innovative MBA x concentrations offered
Our Full-Time MBA program added interdisciplinary concentrations that enable students to customize their studies with classes from other Northeastern colleges. This completely reimagined MBA helps students gain the core business skills of a traditional MBA along with concentrated expertise in another field of interest. This unique blend of skills is highly sought after by employers in today's global business world, providing students with a competitive edge.
Office of Student Engagement, Affinity, and Inclusion (OSEAI) is established
The creation of OSEAI, with Heather Hauck as its director, enabled the school to more actively support inclusive cultures and meaningful conversations to ensure that every student feels respected, valued, and heard. OSEAI continues to expand its offerings in service to the school's pursuit to create, center, maintain, and promote a culture that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Pictured here are members of the Women in Finance group.
Customizable MS x offerings created
The MS x is an innovative and flexible MS in Management that allows students to personalize a core curriculum, customize course selection and take an optional interdisciplinary elective outside D'Amore-McKim. It enables students to align their studies with individual goals and respond to an ever-changing business landscape.
Emery Trahan named interim Dean
Trahan is currently serving in this role. In his 33 years with the school, he has served as the senior associate dean of faculty and research and a faculty member of the Finance Group. He's held tenure and tenure-track faculty roles, including the Donald F. Harding Professorship in Finance and chair of the Finance group. A current focus is building Northeastern's Experience Unleashed academic plan into the fabric of D'Amore-McKim.
David De Cremer appointed Dunton Family Dean
De Cremer, a behavioral scientist, educator, researcher, keynote speaker, and best-selling author, will start his new role on July 1, 2023. He looks forward to serving Northeastern by further promoting and growing D'Amore-McKim as the “global business school for tomorrow.”