Over the past ten years our College has seen remarkable growth in both research excellence and academic performance. With nearly 4,000 full time students enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, we are poised for even more growth in the coming years. When the College was first established in 2006, we envisioned a different type of business education - one that reflects the values and strengths of both the University and the City of Guelph. We value collaboration, leadership and teamwork in business. Most of all, our students and faculty aim to use business to make a better world for tomorrow.
We are Leaders for a Sustainable World.
Our faculty and staff continue to impress with their achievements inside and outside of the classroom. Below is just a small sampling of our achievements and highlights over the past 10 years.
- Under the leadership of Chris McKenna, the University establishes the College of Management and Economics from by combining commerce majors and programs from OAC, and CSAHS. McKenna is appointed Dean for the newly formed College.
- The Lincoln Alexander Outstanding Leader Award launches, honouring excellence in leadership. Recipients of the award have included Lincoln M. Alexander, Frank McKenna, Rick Hillier, Richard W. Pound, Louise Arbour, Martin Connell, Paul Martin, William Charles Winegard, and Sheldon Kennedy.
- Julia Christensen Hughes is appointed Dean of the College of Management and Economics.
- Gluten-free beer and biodegradable plastics were the business ideas of the BComm students that captured two of the top three places in the iGNITION $1K Pitch competition.
- The University of Guelph creates a special University Research Chair focusing on issues of importance and interest to the tourism and hospitality industry. Professor Marion Joppe is the inaugural chair holder.
- The College launches a revised real estate and housing major in the BComm program at a celebration at the Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto.
- Marketing Management student, Heather Clark, named to the "Ones to Watch" list in Marketing Magazine.
- The College receives a financial boost from the Certified Management Accountants of Ontario with a $50,000 gift announced at the CME grand opening.
- For the first time, BComm students participate in the national 5 Days for the Homeless campaign to raise money and awareness for youth homelessness in Canada. In total, the program has raised over $200,000 for charity.
- Master's student Ashley van Herten is one of 10 Canadian students to receive a $5,000 Futures Fund Scholarship supported by Canada's outstanding CEO of the Year Award program.
- BComm graduate, Lauren Moore, receives U of G’s first-ever TD Meloche Monnex Fellowship in Advancement. Only three of these prestigious national awards are given annually.
- Prof. Paulette Padanyi, chair of the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies, received the Guelph Chamber of Commerce President’s Business Recognition Award in the public category for her course “Marketing and Consumer Studies Practicum: Non-Profit Marketing,” which gives students an opportunity to develop marketing plans for selected local non-profit organizations.
- The Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship (CBaSE) is launched - now the Centre for Business and Student Enterprise (CBaSE).
- The College receives a Guelph Chamber of Commerce award for the "Service Learning in Housing" course, which opens the minds of students to the struggles of low-income families in the housing market.
- School of Hospitality and Tourism Management celebrates its 40th anniversary.
- Team of business students and alumni win top prize at the 2009 International Food and Agribusiness Management Association conference held in Budapest, Hungary.
- The College appoints its second dean, Julia Christensen Hughes.
- The PhD in Management program is launched with three areas of focus: marketing and consumer behaviour, services management and organizational leadership.
- School of Hospitality and Tourism Management ranked #1 in Canada for research related to hospitality and tourism (21st worldwide) according to the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education.
- B.Comm. students from the Real Estate and Housing major participate in their first Cornell Real Estate Case Competition.
- Economics professor Rene Kirkegaard named a Canada Research Chair in risk management and regulation. Tier 2 chairs receive $100,000 a year for five years and are considered scholars with potential to become world leaders in their fields.
- For the second year in a row, the College has had a strong showing in the annual Corporate Knight’s ranking of business schools placing 11th out of 47 undergraduate management programs with a commitment to sustainability.
- The College ranks 2nd amongst Canadian business schools in the Globe and Mail student satisfaction survey
- The College launches its accounting major in the fall semester.
- Through the University's "Better Planet Project," the College raises $1.3 million in funding.
- Intro to Business (MGMT*1000) is launched thanks to a generous $500,000 gift from advisory board member and alumna Anne Lockie and Fred Promoli (BA '70).
- Ranked 2nd amongst Canadian business schools for student satisfaction by the Globe and Mail (among mid-sized universities)
- Department of Economics and Finance launch their first Trading Simulation with 29 teams participating across 8 universities.
- BComm student, Gavin Armstrong, organizes World Hunger Summit with record turnout.
- A team of BComm and Food Science students from UofG win the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Discovery Connections Competition with food product, beating out engineering designs from Ontario institutions.
- The College sends its first team of BComm students to the annual JDCC Competition, bringing home multiple medals in categories including HR and Finance.
- The College joins the first organised partnership between business schools and the United Nations, becoming one of the only academic institutions in Canada to be awarded a PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) Champion.
- Accounting student, Josh Leyte-Jammu, awarded first place in University of Waterloo Accounting Conference.
- The College starts an exchange program with the South Western University in Chengdu, China to support a new graduate program in Financial Economics and an undergraduate exchange program between the two universities.
- PJ's Restaurant named one of Canada's "greenest" restaurants by Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (LEAF).
- The College announces the creation of the Business Career Centre (now the Business Career Development Centre) after receiving a monetary gift from the Certified General Accountants of Ontario (now CPA Ontario).
- The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management launches the Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality program.
- Executive Programs launches the Sustainable Commerce specialization in the MBA program.
- Students in the Intro to Business (MGMT*1000) participate in the Micro-Tyco Challenge for the first time, becoming entrepreneurs to raise seed funding for entrepreneurs in developing countries. The University of Guelph were the first North American institution to participate in this challenge.
- BComm student Kennedy Crawford (Marketing management) and Alyssa de Hoop (Marketing minor) won the title of Canada's Next Top Ad Exec, a national advertising and marketing case competition run by McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business.
- In February, the College of Management and Economics rebrands to become the College of Business and Economics. The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is renamed the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management and the Department of Business becomes the Department of Management.
- In January 2014, the College announces the transformation of Macdonald Hall - the new home for business at Guelph.
- Marketing Management students participated in a market research focused trip to China after participating in an International Marketing course, sponsored by ESKA Waters.
- Khalil Rohani becomes first PhD Candidate in Management to defend thesis.
- Commerce students bring home multiple medals from case competitions (DECA U and JDCC) in Toronto.
- Dean, Julia Christensen Hughes, speaks at the United Nations General Assembly regarding the need for business schools to reform their curricula to reflect the principles of responsible management education.
- Real Estate and Housing students launch Undergraduate Real Estate Case Competition.
- Department of Economics and Finance ranks among the top institutions worldwide for research output by Research Papers in Economics (RePEc).
- The College launches a mentorship program, designed to connect alumni with UoG BComm students.
- Real Estate and Housing student, Daniel Foch and brother Kyle win Make Rental Happen Challenge.
- CBaSE receives $400,000 grant from the On-Campus Entrepreneurship Activities program.
- Economics professor Rene Kirkegaard receives Canada Research Chair renewal from Industry Canada.
- The College officially moves into the transformed Macdonald Hall, the new home to business at Guelph. The building includes multiple collaborative study rooms, student lounges, and two modern classrooms equipped with adjustable seating and multimedia.
- The accounting program at UofG becomes accredited by CPA Ontario, allowing accounting students to receive advanced standing in the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP).
- The College ranks as one of the top institutions in the world for academic leadership in the field of real estate research, according to a study featured in the Journal of Real Estate Literature.
- Real Estate and Housing students win 1st place at the 2016 Retail Real Estate Case Competition in Las Vegas. The invitation only competition welcomed five undergraduate teams from top university real estate programs across North America.
- BComm students attend the United Nations Leaders Summit in NYC after winning a global competition in sustainable business.
- Hospitality and Tourism student, Aaron Laurie, wins the first ever #hotelNEXT case competition at the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference in Toronto. Laurie also won the Young Hoteliers Summit in Lusaine Switzerland in 2015. Since 2011, University of Guelph hospitality and tourism students have found themselves on the podium four times.
- Enrolment in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs reach an all time high, totalling close to 4,000 students.
