Mission, History and Values

 

History

At the Whitman School, students learn, intern and participate in community service and advance their careers through a full spectrum of field-focused and multidisciplinary departments in one of the nation’s oldest business schools.

 

The Whitman School, formerly the College of Business Administration, was established in 1919. In 1920, it was only the 16th collegiate business school in the nation to be accredited by the AACSB.

 

In 1948, the school launched its MBA program. The Army Comptrollership Program was established in 1952, and the Ph.D. program was created in 1965. The Whitman School has long been a leader in education innovation and began offering a distance MBA in 1977.

 

In 2003, the School was honored with a naming gift from Martin J. Whitman ’49, H'08 (1924-2018), founder of Third Avenue Management, and Lois Whitman. Seeking to expand opportunities for students, the Whitman School opened its 160,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building in 2005. Today, Whitman programs serve as standards of excellence and achievement among the academic and business community.

 

Take a journey through the Whitman School’s first century, including milestones, celebrations and more, by visiting the online digital timeline.

Vision

We aspire to be a pre-eminent and inclusive school of management that

  • Prepares students for professional success, engaged citizenship, and lifelong learning
  • Produces high-impact research that advances business and society.

 

 

Mission

Our mission is to develop analytic, globally minded, innovative and entrepreneurial leaders and professionals through the power of

  • Transformative learning experiences
  • Innovative ideas and high-impact research insights
  • Collaborative networks of lifelong learning and discovery

 

We strive to achieve our mission by

  • Leveraging the breadth and richness of Syracuse University’s schools and colleges
  • Focusing on domains that benefit student learning and in which we can excel
  • Engaging with our academic, alumni, and industry partners

Whitman’s Core Values

Integrity: We are an ethical community that values transparency, accountability, responsibility, respect and professionalism.

Inclusion: We strive to be a student-centered community that is supportive of all. We are open-minded. We engage and encourage diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.

Collaboration: We believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We value teamwork as the most successful way to reach our goals.

Innovation: We are forward-thinking with a global mindset, always exploring new and creative ideas that can bring positive changes to the world.

Excellence: We persevere, always challenging ourselves and each other to improve in pursuit of outstanding quality in processes and outcomes, leading to overall success.