Banner year: Director of Centennial Celebration Jane Rodriguez and Dean Dipak C. Jain  Photo © Nathan Mandell

Kellogg School marks 'Century of Excellence'

Global Centennial celebrations to honor school's 100th birthday

On a warm evening 100 years ago, Northwestern University opened its School of Commerce in Chicago's Loop, in a facility shared by the university's dental, law and pharmacy schools. The date was Oct. 6, 1908, and the new part-time management program welcomed 165 students — mostly clerks, junior bankers or accountants who signed a certificate attesting to their good moral character, paid $75 in annual tuition and hoped to improve their careers in tangible ways.

A day earlier, university officials and Chicago business leaders gathered to inaugurate the school, whose mission was to teach business scientifically and in ways that helped practitioners solve problems. Despite such aspirations, it was unlikely anyone could have predicted that this modest start would one day produce the Kellogg School, a global management education leader.

This fall, the Kellogg School's Centennial will be commemorated with a variety of galas and conferences around the world. Beginning Oct. 4 with a ceremony in downtown Evanston, the Centennial will bring together Kellogg alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends. Former and retired Kellogg professors will appear as part of the scheduled events, which will continue through May 2009. Visit centennial.kellogg.northwestern.edu to learn details about Centennial activities and explore an interactive timeline. To help tell the Kellogg story, Northwestern University Press is publishing Wide Awake in the Windy City.

The Office of the Dean, along with Director of Centennial Celebration Jane Rodriguez, and a committee composed of Kellogg faculty, administrators and alumni, have created the global agenda for the anniversary. Rodriguez says Centennial events are designed as celebrations and opportunities to "represent the school's mission and raise visibility for Kellogg in the U.S. and internationally."

Kellogg Dean Dipak C. Jain called this year "a joyous time for us," and said Centennial provides the chance to reflect on the school's accomplishments while also looking to the future. "We've enjoyed a century of excellence and innovation, and we continue to increase the global impact of Kellogg by creating leaders who are both successful and significant," Jain said.