Johnson 75th

deChazeau Named Acting Dean Paul M. O’Leary, inaugural dean of the School of Business and Public Administration, became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1952. Melvin deChazeau was appointed acting dean of B&PA and held that role for two years.

Honoring Leadership In 2022, a $15 million gift from Joanne Knight in honor of her late husband, Charles “Chuck” Field Knight ’57, BME ’58, MBA ’59, established the Charles Field Knight Deanship of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

First in Her Class Jane Knauss Stevens was the only woman in the inaugural MBA class of 1948 and the first woman to earn a Cornell MBA. She went on to use her management expertise as a volunteer and leader for Planned Parenthood, her local government, the Cornell University Council, and numerous community and educational organizations.

Tuskegee Airman Earns Cornell MBA Wilbur Parker ’50, MBA ’50, a World War II veteran and U.S. Army Air Corps Tuskegee Airman, became the first Black Cornell MBA graduate. Throughout his career, Parker worked to make a difference by combating racial injustice and helping others. In 1954 he became the first Black CPA in the state of New Jersey; in 1962 he broke ground as Newark’s first Black budget director; and in 1970 he became the first Black secretary of Newark’s Board of Education.

A New Beginning for Business at Cornell On October 14, 1946, Paul O’Leary, dean of Cornell University’s new School of Business and Public Administration (B&PA), welcomed 41 MBA students to McGraw Hall for the first day of classes.