The Pamplin College of Business is one of Virginia Tech’s eight colleges. The college is named after Robert B. Pamplin and his son Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., who have donated over $28 million to their alma mater. The college is consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the country. In 2011-2012, the college consisted of 152 faculty members and 4,168 students. The college's degree programs are accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International and the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.
History
In 1925, the first bachelor's degree in business administration was offered at the university followed by the first master's degree in 1931. In 1961, the school of business was created with 28 faculty members and 823 students. The school soon became an official college of the university in 1965. Then, on 1969, the building housing the college was named for Robert B. Pamplin, a 1933 business graduate who later became chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. In 1986, the college itself was renamed for Pamplin in recognition of a $20 million gift he gave to the college along with his son, Robert B. Pamplin Jr., another Virginia Tech graduate and the president of the R. B. Pamplin Corporation.
Academics
The Pamplin College of Business is primarily located in Pamplin Hall on Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus, but it is also located in the National Capital Region. The college comprises 6 different departments. Five of the ten most recruited majors at Virginia Tech are in the Pamplin College of Business. According to 2011 undergraduate profiles in Bloomberg Businessweek, the average undergraduate class size in required business classes (excluding online courses) was 147 students, and the average class size in business electives was 57 students.
Department of Accounting and Information Systems
The Department of Accounting and Information Systems offers undergraduates bachelor’s degrees in business with options available in accounting, information systems audit, and information systems. The department also has a Master of Accounting and Information Systems (MACIS) program and a doctoral program. After graduation, 98 percent of students from this department secured a job or space in the graduate program that they wanted.
Department of Business Information Technology
Through the Department of Business Information and Technology, undergraduate students can earn bachelor’s degrees in business information technology. Majors can choose an option in decision support systems or operations and supply chain management. The department also offers a doctoral degree. In 2009-2010, the department had the fourth highest number of total on-campus interviews at the university. Students in the department had an average of 3.98 interviews, which is the highest at Virginia Tech. In addition, 86 percent of the department’s majors were employed or had job offers at the time of graduation, which was the highest percentage of all the departments at Virginia Tech. TechRepublic also listed the department as having one of the top 10 college programs for IT in the U.S.
Department of Finance
The Department of Finance contains an undergraduate program in finance that results in a bachelor’s degree, an MBA program with a finance concentration, and a doctoral program. The department is associated with three student organizations for undergraduates: Student Endowment for Educational Development (SEED), BASIS (Bond and Securities Investing by Students), and The Finance Club. The former two organizations allow students to manage make actual investment decisions with funds from the Virginia Tech Foundation.
Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Students in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management can earn a bachelor’s degree, a master of science, or a doctoral degree. The department also has an MBA program at the National Capital Region campus. On the Blacksburg campus, undergraduates can join four student organizations affiliated with the department: the Hospitality Management Association, a chapter of the Club Management Association of America, and a chapter of the housing and tourism management honorary society Eta Sigma Delta, and the National Society for Minorities in Hospitality.
Department of Management
The Department of Management offers undergraduates a management major with options in entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology management and human resource management. Minors are available in business leadership and business.
Department of Marketing
Undergraduate students can earn a bachelors degree through the Department of Marketing. They can also participate in any of the department’s three clubs: Prism, PSE, and the Marketing Club. The department also has a master’s program, an MBA program, and a Ph.D. program.
Distinguished Faculty
Kent Nakamoto, R.B. Pamplin Professor of Marketing and Department Head and Associate Dean for Research, is a two time winner of the American Marketing Association’s William F. O’Dell award, which recognizes the Journal of Marketing Research article that has made the most significant, long-term contribution to marketing theory, methodology, and/or practice.
Richard Wokutch, the R. B. Pamplin Professor in Management, is a two time Fulbright fellowship winner, who has gained recognition for his research related to business ethics.
Vijay Singal, the J. Gray Ferguson Professor of Finance, has had his research featured on television (CNNfn), on radio (National Public Radio, Bloomberg Radio), and in print media such as the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Investors Business Daily, SmartMoney, Fortune, and Money.
Rankings
According to the U.S. News and World Reports’ “America’s Best Colleges 2011,†the Pamplin College of Business is ranked No. 42 overall, along with 15 other schools, and No. 10 among those at public universities. The college’s overall ranking again keeps it among the top 10 percent of the 524 U.S. business schools with undergraduate programs accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Notable Alumni
- Robert B. Pamplin (business administration 1933) was the president and chairman of the board of Georgia-Pacific and the founder of R.B. Pamplin Corporation in Portland, Ore. The Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech is named in his family’s honor.
- Thomas C. Richards (general business 1956) is a former General in the United States Air Force and the former chief of staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
- United States Air Force General Lance L. Smith (business administration 1969) served as the Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia, and NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation from November 10, 2005 to November 9, 2007. A highly decorated combat veteran, the general retired from active duty on January 1, 2008.
- Dave Calhoun (accounting 1979) is the chief executive officer of The Nielsen Company.
- Wayne Robinson (finance 1980) is a retired American basketball player.
- Bridget Ryan Berman (business administration 1982) is the chief executive officer of Victoria's Secret, the independent director of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc., and a director of J Crew Operating Corp. She has also held positions in companies such as, Giorgio Armani Corporation, Apple Computer, Inc., and Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.
- Doug Fritz (marketing 1982) was the president and general manager of Richmond International Raceway.
- Vahan Janjigian (MBA 1982; Ph.D. finance 1985) is the chief investment strategist at Forbes, vice president and executive director of the Forbes Investors Advisory Institute, and editor of the Forbes Growth Investor and Special Situation Survey investment newsletters.
- Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. is the chairman, president, and CEO of the R.B. Pamplin Corporation. The Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech and the Pamplin School of Business at the University of Portland are named in his honor.
- Lynne Doughtie (accounting 1985) is a member of KPMG's management committee and leads Advisory for KPMG in the Americas Region, a network of KPMG member firms which includes more than 7,000 Advisory partners and professionals.
- Gene Fife is currently Managing Principal of Vawter Capital, LLC and has been a director of Caterpillar Inc. since 2002. He was formerly a partner of Goldman Sachs, retiring in 1995, and he served as the interim CEO and President of Eclipsys Corporation (healthcare information services) from April to November 2005 and the non-executive Chairman from 2001 until 2010, when Eclipsys merged with Allscripts
References
External links
- Pamplin COB Website
- Marketing Department Website
- Pamplin Magazine Website
- Accounting and Information Systems Website
Virginia Tech
Post a Comment