UGA business school celebrates its Centennial

Athens, Ga. — The Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia will commemorate its 100th year in business education this summer. The oldest business school in the South will honor its legacy during several annual events and will chronicle its history with interactive content online and in print.

Celebrations will begin this spring at two of Terry College’s biggest annual events—its Alumni Awards and Gala on April 28 and the Graduation Convocation on May 12. The faculty and staff welcome back event in the fall will be centennial themed as well.

“Although the actual founding date is June 12, we wanted to celebrate a bit longer and begin our centennial festivities with alumni and friends at the gala,” says Robert T. Sumichrast, Dean of the Terry College of Business, “We are also excited to have Dr. Mary Virginia Terry as our convocation speaker. She is a wonderful role model and long-standing supporter of our students.”

The college will publish a commemorative issue of Terry Magazine in July and has recently published a website with an interactive timeline that chronicles the college’s milestones. The centennial site also features alumni memories. Alumni are encouraged to update their records.

The Terry College of Business was originally founded as the UGA School of Commerce in 1912, making it the oldest business school in the South. During its 100 years, Terry College has issued over 65,000 degrees, the first of which was awarded to William “Willis” Sparks in 1915. From 1940 on, the school was known as the “College of Business Administration” until being named after its benefactors, C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry in 1991.

For more information about the history of the Terry College of Business, visit the school’s centennial website at t100.terry.uga.edu.