Olin Business School

Photos provided by Washington University in St. Louis

By Rachel Z. Arndt

Olin Business School

Washington University in St. Louis was founded in 1853 on what would in 1904 become the site of the first Olympics held in the U.S. Originally established as the Eliot Seminary—after T.S. Eliot's grandfather, William Greenleaf Eliot, one of the institutions' founders—the school was renamed for George Washington in 1857. Ten years later the school became home to the first law school west of the Mississippi River. This spring, Wash U. opened the Living Learning Center, one of North America's most environmentally-friendly buildings—the facility can convert rainwater into drinking water and produces energy by harvesting solar power.

Wash U. opened its business school in 1917 and started the MBA program in 1950. Today it also offers executive MBA programs—including one in Shanghai—and a business doctorate. Olin, which was named in 1988 in honor of John M. Olin, a major benefactor, has 59 faculty members. There are 294 students in the full-time MBA program and more than 700 in the undergraduate business program. The school prides itself on its small size and the personalized approach it provides in business education. Students agree: "Olin has a small-school culture with great faculty, flexible curriculum, good scholarships, and lots of student activities," one wrote in a BusinessWeek survey.

Photos provided by Washington University in St. Louis. Caption information provided by the school and BusinessWeek research.

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