Johnson 75th

Foundational Expertise in Accounting Thomas Dyckman joined the faculty in 1964 and held the title of Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Accounting and Quantitative Analysis for nearly 30 years. His interest in number crunching extended well beyond the classroom to include how human behavior affects accounting policy and investment decisions. During his two stints as acting dean, he oversaw the renovation of Sage Hall and the launch of the Parker Center for Investment Research, as well as the school’s first immersion program.

Nelson Named Dean In 2016, Mark W. Nelson, an accounting professor at Johnson since 1990 and former associate dean for academic affairs, was named the 12th dean. He would oversee the opening of the Breazzano Family Center for Business Education and the Tata Innovation Center on the Cornell Tech campus, the launch of new degree programs, and Johnson’s incorporation into the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. He would also lead the school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Home for a Growing School In 1964, the school moved out of its cramped space in McGraw Hall and into its new home, the five-story Malott Hall, located at the corner of Tower and Garden roads.

Three Schools, One College On July 1, 2016, Cornell University established the Cornell College of Business, integrating Cornell’s three accredited business programs. The college encompasses the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

Rhodes Scholar Becomes Youngest Dean In 1962, William D. Carmichael, a 32-year-old Rhodes scholar and economist from Princeton was named the fourth dean. He focused his attention on strengthening the faculty, hiring Thomas R. Dyckman, David Ahlers, Jerome Hass, and L. Joseph Thomas—eminent researchers and scholars who, along with Hal Bierman Jr. and Sy Smidt, formed the heart of the school’s teaching faculty and thought leaders for several decades. 

Historic Gift Names College In 2017, the college was renamed the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business in recognition of a $150 million gift from H. Fisk Johnson ’79, MEng ’80, MS ’82, MBA ’84, PhD ’86, CEO and chairman of SC Johnson. It was the largest single gift to Cornell’s Ithaca campus.

Breazzano Family Center Opens Construction of the Breazzano Family Center for Business Education was made possible through a $25 million gift from David Breazzano, MBA ’80. The state-of-the-art, six-story classroom and office building opened in Collegetown in 2017.

Dean Sheppard Lays New Foundation C. Stewart Sheppard was named the third dean of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration in 1956. He went on to raise $1.6 million to construct a new home for the school, Malott Hall.

A Gold Standard for Organizational Studies In 1956, B&PA launched Administrative Science Quarterly. It has become widely recognized as the preeminent scholarly journal in the field of organizational behavior.

Cornell Tech MBA Moves to Roosevelt Island In 2017, the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island was dedicated. Its Tata Innovation Center became the hub for all Johnson programs in New York City in addition to being the home of the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA.