60th Anniversary

60 Years of Transforming Lives

Through the power of research and education, the CSU College of Business has informed and inspired positive change in countless industries and communities since it was founded in 1966. As we celebrate our diamond anniversary, we hope you’ll join us in championing and securing a bright future for our business students, while celebrating purpose beyond profit and Business for a Better World.

Purpose-driven Leadership and Innovation

Since our 1966 founding, our leaders have pioneered research and innovation at the intersection of business, technology and society. We became the first college in the United States to offer a distance MBA program in the 1970s; today, we continue to leverage the latest technology in course delivery. Our research and academic programs remain respected by industry peers.

Our Values: Excellence

#1 business school in North America
Financial Times, 2024

#1 Online MBA and MCIS in Colorado
U.S. News & World Report, 2026

65% 4-year graduation rate
vs. 50% average

90% undergraduate offer rate
2023-2024 First Destination Report

Business For a Better World

The College was founded with the vision that business can be used to make the world a better place. Dean Beth Walker refined the spirit of that early vision to coin Business For a Better World, our mission of transforming lives through business education, research, and community engagement. In this spirit we:

Launched one of the first sustainability-focused MBA programs in the U.S. in 2007
Pioneered Responsible Research in Business and Management along with 10 other institutions
Participate in the Daniels Fund Ethics Consortium with just 11 other schools in the West
Give back to our community as the top local donor to CSU’s C.A.N.S. Around The Oval community food drive for 19 consecutive years

Our Values: Impact

#1Better World MBA in North America
Corporate Knights, 2025

Top 7in the U.S. for social impact
Positive Impact Rating, 2025

100%of undergraduates take at least
one course in sustainability

3rdin the global Sustainable Campus Index
Sustainable Campus Index, 2025

Alumni Impact

College of Business alumni are passionate changemakers. Our graduates have influenced a variety of industries, from launching Colorado’s first reforestation company and reducing gaps in aquatic safety to leading the City of Fort Collins. The Biz Ram passion for ethical and responsible growth has a positive impact on people and communities across Colorado, the nation, and the world.

College of Business alumni planting trees

Our Values: Community

+42%undergraduate
enrollmentFY2020-2025

5.4Kstudents

39K+BizRam alumni

76countries represented
by COB students

CSU College of Business Timeline

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

1960s

New Beginnings for a Burgeoning Business Community

CSU – then Colorado A&M – offered business classes as early as 1895, but growing student interest prompted the establishment of the College of Business in 1966. First led by Dean Don Dobler, enrollment jumped from 41 to 164 students within the college’s first year.

1970s

A First in American Business Education

The College of Business used VHS tapes to launch the first distance MBA program in the U.S. in 1975. In this predecessor to today’s Online MBA, lecture recordings were mailed to local employers. Students gathered in conference rooms to watch classes and mail completed homework assignments to their professors.

1980s

Ringing In Tradition

The College held its first Business Day in 1979, establishing an annual tradition that continues to this day. Early high-profile Business Day speakers included then-Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, Malcolm Forbes and Ralph Nader.

1990s

A New Home for Business

The College of Business community outgrew its original space in the B-wing of the Clark Building. Rockwell Hall, originally a women’s residence hall, became the dedicated home of the College in 1994. The construction of a Classroom and Technology wing added an additional 25,000 square feet in 1997.

GSSE students walking through tall grass

2000s

A Decade of Firsts

Amidst a decade of innovation, the College achieved many institutional firsts. As it transitioned the distance MBA from VHS tapes and DVDs into the fully Online MBA program of today, the College also earned its first ranking as a Top 100 business school in U.S. News & World Report in 2002 and became one of the first U.S. colleges to offer a sustainability MBA with the launch of the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA (now the Impact MBA) in 2007.

2010s

Expanding Opportunity

Rockwell Hall West opened in 2010 to accommodate the growing student population as the College continued expanding its course and academic program offerings. Beth Walker joined the College in 2015 and became the first female dean in the College’s history.

2020s

Innovating for the Future

The College unveiled the Mosaic universal classroom in 2019. Celebrated as the “classroom of the future,” the Mosaic room utilizes five cameras, 27 video screens and a dedicated production team to create a blended learning experience in which remote students participate remotely in live lectures with on-campus students. The College was the first in the nation to offer this 360-degree classroom as a leader in education innovation.

Support Future Business Leaders

Invest in business as a force for good. Create access and opportunity for future leaders and changemakers by supporting scholarships for College of Business students.

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Our Values: Access

24%of students are
First-Generation

252scholarships awarded
for the 2025-2026
academic year

$1M+awarded in scholarships
for the 2025-2026
academic year

Top 25best for veterans Online MBA and MCIS programs U.S. News & World Report, 2026

Digital Yearbook

What’s your piece in the College of Business legacy? Reminisce with us about the lifelong impact or just plain fun of your days in the College. Be sure to check the “contact me” box to submit photos or video for our Digital Yearbook!

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