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Emporia State School of Business + Technology

School of Business + Technology About Us

Founded in 1917, ESU's School of Business has a Long History of Success

Ed Bashaw, Dean of the School of Business

Meet the Dean

Ed Bashaw is the Dean of the School of Business.

Letter from the Dean
AACSB logo

AACSB

ESU is one of the 6% of schools worldwide that is AACSB-accredited.

AACSB Accreditation
Dean's Advisory Council

Advisory Council

The Dean's Advisory Council provides valuable industry insights.

Dean's Advisory Council

Alumni

Our alumni successes tell an impressive story.

Outstanding Alumni
IT team is successful

Performance

Measuring School of Business success with performance indicators.

Performance Measures
Student in front of Plumb Hall

Faculty + Staff

ESU's faculty + staff are some of the brightest in the region.

Meet Faculty + Staff
Students meeting in a conference room

News + Reports

Explore news articles, newsletters and reports on our news page.

Visit the news page

School of Business Mission, Vision, Core Values and Goals

Mission Statement

Our School improves lives by providing:

  • valuable, accessible educational opportunities,
  • high-impact learning experiences,
  • a student focused learning environment,
  • applied scholarship, and
  • service to the public,

thus preparing those from Kansas, the mid-western region and beyond for professional careers and contributing to the economic well-being of the region.

Vision

The ESU School of Business will become the primary resource and partner for educational opportunities, transforming lives and our economy.

Core Values

  1. Quality – we value intellectual challenges, acquisition of knowledge, problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking.
  2. Ethics – we value personal integrity, accountability, compliance with laws, and concern for the common good.
  3. Respect – we value collaboration, inclusion, trust, freedom of thought, and freedom of expression.
  4. Commitment – we value steadfast support of the individual student, the University, the region, and the global community we serve.

Goals

  1. Deliver academic programs of distinction preparing individuals to achieve their professional goals.
  2. Provide transformational experiences in support of adaptive leadership, broad worldviews, and the common good.
  3. Enhance partnerships with the business community and contribute to economic growth of the region.
  4. Develop a climate of creativity supporting applied scholarship and innovation.

History

Evolution of the School

Historical photo of Cremer Hall on Emporia State's Campus

Kansas State Normal School began offering bookkeeping classes to schoolteachers as early as 1868. Since then, the study of business has been intricately linked with higher education in Emporia.

In 1917, KSN began offering a bachelor's degree in commerce. The first graduate of the program was Raymond Griffith Cremer, who lends his name to the School of Business building.

Kansas State Teachers College began offering the Bachelor of Science in Business degree in 1952. As a result of program growth, changes in student interest, and the needs of society, the program began offering several majors within the B.S.B. In 1971, KSTC was authorized to award the Master of Science in Business. In 1975, the name of the degree was changed to the Master of Business Administration.

KSTC was also going through changes. In 1974, it became Emporia State Kansas College. The name changed again in 1977 to Emporia State University.

In 1983, the Division of Business and Business Education, a component of the School of Applied Arts and Sciences, was reorganized into the ESU School of Business. Dr. Sajjad A. Hashmi became its first Dean.

The school also provides financial support to the Small Business Development Center, the Center for Business and Economic Development, and the Kansas Business Hall of Fame.