The Historian’s Notebook

A black and white photo of students in conversation

Members of Yale SOM’s earliest classes look back.

A black-and-white newspaper photo of people working in a computer lab

In 1983, Yale SOM took a big step into the digital age.

A black-and-white photo of a man with white hair cradling his face in one hand

In a 1983 speech, philanthropist William S. Beinecke, who helped create Yale SOM, explains how the crises of the 20th century convinced him that the university should found a school of management.

A photograph of an archival print newspaper ad soliciting applications for faculty positions at Yale SOM

Buoyed by confidence in its mission and one semester of success, SOM pressed to immediately grow its faculty.

A person writing on a chalkboard

In 2007, an unprecedented Wall Street buyout inspired SOM faculty to create a new kind of case study.

A painting of Donald Ogilvie

This week, the Yale SOM community will convene for an annual colloquium honoring Donald H. Ogilvie ’78, a civil rights pioneer who made a lasting impact on the fabric of the university.

Two performers standing with backs together on a stage

In 1977, a student-run variety show brought SOM’s Charter Class together through satire and became a cherished school tradition.

A black and white photo of students eating lunch in a university cafeteria

We asked graduates from each decade of SOM’s history to recall their first impressions of the school and its community.

A person speaking and gesturing

Robert Shiller’s work attracted faculty to SOM and inspired new research, making the school the epicenter of a developing economic field.

A photograph of the exterior of a red brick academic building with three trees in front of the facade

SOM opened its doors in 1976. But the history of business education at the university stretches back over a century.