Sam M. Walton College of Business

Last updated
Sam M. Walton College of Business
Walton College of Business logo.svg
TypePublic
Established1926
Parent institution
 University of Arkansas
Dean Brent D. Williams
Academic staff
265 [1]
Undergraduates 9,164 [2]
Postgraduates 690 [2]
Location
Fayetteville
,
Arkansas
,
U.S.

36°03′55″N94°10′28″W / 36.06531°N 94.17434°W / 36.06531; -94.17434
Website walton.uark.edu

The Sam M. Walton College of Business (Walton College or Walton) is the business school at the University of Arkansas, a public research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Created in 1926, the college is the second-largest college at the University of Arkansas, serving over 9,000 students. Walton College offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs and is known nationally for its strong programs in retail, entrepreneurship, information systems, and supply chain management. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Walton College among the top business schools in the country. The college has a close relationship with Walmart Stores, Inc., based in nearby Bentonville, Arkansas, and related vendor community.

Contents

History

The School of Business Administration was founded in 1926 [3] by Harvard graduate Charles C. Fichtner, who became the college's first dean. The original curricula covered accounting, banking, finance, general business, industrial management, and marketing. The college gained accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, in 1931. [4]

A $100,000 donation from business owner Barney Lewis, class of 1934, helped establish a professional development program at the college that would later become the Leadership Walton program. In 1996, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation gifted the college $6.7 million, which funded the Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development. [5]

Eponym

Sam Walton in 1936 SamWalton-1936.jpg
Sam Walton in 1936

The college is named after the founder of Walmart Stores, Inc., Sam Walton, when in October 1998, the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation made a $50 million upfront cash gift. [6] The company is headquartered in nearby Bentonville, Arkansas, and employs hundreds of Walton College graduates. This was the largest ever given to a public business college at the time. This established the "Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration", but the name was shorted to the "Sam M. Walton College of Business" in 2000.

Walmart's Live Better U education program offers free tuition and books for Walmart associates looking to earn undergraduate degrees in supply chain management, marketing and general business from Walton College. [7]

Leadership

The College of Business has had 10 deans since 1926, and two interim deans.

Departments

Two Walton College buildings, with the Ozark Mountains in the background Walton College in the Ozark Mountains.jpg
Two Walton College buildings, with the Ozark Mountains in the background

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Walton College’s undergraduate business program in the top 30 public business schools for 23 consecutive years. The undergraduate program currently ranks #25 among public colleges and #40 overall. The online business program is ranked #12 nationally out of 214 institutions. [14] The Princeton Review lists the Walton M.B.A. among the best M.B.A. programs in the country, along with ranking Walton College of Business #4 in the South and #22 in the nation for best graduate entrepreneurship programs. [15] The Wall Street Journal ranked the Walton M.B.A. 11th out of 600 M.B.A. programs for best return on investment. [16] The 2021 analysis, which reviewed federal student loan and post-graduation salary data, found that students at Walton take on an average of $27,800 in federal student loan debt and go on to earn an average of $106,421 annually two years after graduating. [17]

Walton College is also frequently recognized for its strong Supply Chain Management program. Global research and consulting firm Gartner has ranked Walton College’s undergraduate supply chain program the #1 program in North America for three years in a row, while the graduate program is ranked #2. [18] U.S. News & World Report currently ranks the undergraduate supply chain program #9 nationally, [14] while the Walton M.B.A. supply chain specialty track is ranked #14. [19]

U.S. News & World Report ranks Walton College's undergraduate Management Information Systems program #14 among public colleges and #18 nationally. [14] Walton's Department of Information Systems is consistently ranked among the top 5 in the world based on publications in premier IS journals. [20]

Leadership Initiatives

In 2020, Walton College created two leadership initiatives geared toward ethics and the customer experience.

Facilities

Business education at the University of Arkansas began on the third floor Old Main in 1926. Known as the School of Business Administration, four faculty and 21 students began business education at UA. In 1928, the school moved to the former engineering building, which was renamed the Commerce Building.

The College moved to its present location at 220 North McIlroy in 1978 following the completion of the Business Building. It was renamed to Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration following a $50 million donation from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation in 1998. [6] The Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at 145 North Buchanan was built following a grant from Donald W. Reynolds Foundation in 1996.

Following the Campaign for the 21st Century, the Walton College saw a period of rapid facility growth. Willard J. Walker Hall at 191 North Harmon and the J.B. Hunt Transport Services Center for Academic Excellence at 227 North Harmon opened in 2007 adjacent to the Business Building, enclosing the Linda Sue Shollmier Plaza and creating a business campus within the southern part of the UA campus. The McMillon Innovation Studio, named for alumnus Doug McMillon, was opened in a former retail space at 146 North Harmon near the other business buildings in 2016. [21]

A gallery, with dates used by the College of Business in parentheses, shows the facilities used throughout the years.

Notable Alumni

Notable Faculty Members

According to Research.com and Elsevier, faculty at Walton College are ranked among the top 2% of scientists and most cited researchers in the world: [22] [23]

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References

  1. ↑ "Faculty Expertise". University of Arkansas: Walton College of Business. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Walton College: Data and Reports". University of Arkansas: Walton College of Business. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  3. ↑ Jayroe, Dustin (2019-04-29). "Sam M. Walton College of Business Opens its Doors to Little Rock". AMP. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  4. ↑ "About Walton College".
  5. ↑ "Walton College Mission, Vision and History".
  6. 1 2 Honan, William H. (October 7, 1998). "Business School At Arkansas U. Is Getting Gift Of $50 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  7. ↑ "U of A Now More Accessible Option for Walmart and Sam's Club Associates". University of Arkansas News. May 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Eli Jones To Lead Walton College". Talk Business & Politics. 2012-07-06. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  9. ↑ "Walton College Dean Eli Jones Leaving Arkansas For Texas A&M". Talk Business & Politics. 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  10. ↑ "Sam M. Walton College of Business dean to go back to professor job | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette". www.nwaonline.com. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  11. ↑ Gatling, Paul (2023-03-06). "Report: Walton College Dean Matt Waller is resigning". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  12. ↑ "Brent Williams Named Dean of Walton Business College". Arkansas Business — Business News, Real Estate, Law, Construction. 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  13. ↑ Gatling, Paul (2023-04-14). "UA appoints Brent Williams interim dean of Walton College". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  14. 1 2 3 "Walton College Ranks 25th Best Public Undergrad Business School in the U.S." University of Arkansas News. September 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ "The Princeton Review: University of Arkansas--Fayetteville - Sam M. Walton College of Business". The Princeton Review.
  16. ↑ "A Graduate Degree That Pays Off: The M.B.A." The Wall Street Journal. October 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Walton MBA Ranks 11th out of 600 programs for ROI by the Wall Street Journal". The University of Arkansas: Walton College: Graduate School of Business. February 23, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Walton College Supply Chain Management Programs Top Ranked Again". The University of Arkansas News. June 27, 2024.
  19. ↑ "How U.S. News Ranks The Top U.S. B-Schools By MBA Specialization". Poets&Quants. April 15, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Bachelor's Degree: Department of Information Systems". University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business.
  21. ↑ Neiswanger, Robbie (October 23, 2016). "UA's McMillon lab fosters innovation". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Top Business Researchers in the World Located at Walton College". University of Arkansas News. January 16, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Walton College Researchers Ranked Top 2% in the World by Elsevier". University of Arkansas News. November 6, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Information Systems: Department Directory: Varun Grover".
  25. ↑ "Information Systems: Department Directory: Mary Lacity".
  26. ↑ "Supply Chain Management: Department Directory: Matthew A. Waller".
  27. ↑ "Supply Chain Management: Department Directory: Remko Van Hoek".
  28. ↑ "Directory: Department of Information Systems: Rajiv Sabherwal".
  29. ↑ "Directory: Department of Marketing: Scot Burton".
  30. ↑ "Directory: Department of Accounting: Vern J. Richardson".
  31. ↑ "Directory: Department of Management: Christoper C. Rosen".
  32. ↑ "Marketing: Department Directory: Molly Rapert".
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