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The Dartmouth
May 1, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Tuck has storied 100-year history

Tuition was only $100 for the first class of the Tuck School of Business Administration one century ago.

Tuck, the first graduate school of business in the country, is celebrating its centennial this year, and it has come a long way from its early birth and has a rich history.

Business students now spend upwards of $27,000 for their education but the quality remains high and Tuck continues to be ranked in the top tier of the nation's graduate institutions -- U.S. News & World Report magazine ranked Tuck 11th in its recent review of the best graduate schools in America.

The school was founded in 1900 by Dartmouth President William J. Tucker, who named it after Edward Tuck, a diplomat, financier and President Tucker's college roommate.

Over the course of Tuck's history, more than 7,000 students have graduated. Almost 200 students will receive their MBA from Tuck this year in comparison to the first class of only four.

The changes that the school has gone through have been much more than just the class size. About seven years ago, the school began to incorporate changes brought about by technology into its program.

According to Paul Danos, dean of the Tuck School, more classes focusing on e-commerce and entreprenuership will be added to the MBA programs over the next few years.

Until 1929, when Tuck Hall -- where the school is currently located -- was built, classes were held in McNutt Hall, currently home to Admissions and Financial Aid.

Over the next few decades, the school continued to change and expand in spite of increasing competition from other business programs. It admitted its first female graduate student in 1968.

The Murdoch Center -- which houses Cook auditorium and Feldberg library -- was built in 1973, with a grant from Thomas Murdoch '26.

In the 1980s, Tuck continued to hire more faculty and gained in national prestige, according to the "Tuck School History," written by Tuck professor Mary Munter.

Technological advances in the last decade have forced Tuck to augment its course offerings, as well as to make infrastructure changes. The school's intranet is the most advanced of any other institution, Danos told The Dartmouth in an earlier interview.

Tuck is also experimenting with remote learning, and other ways of reaching a larger group of students not necessarily in Hanover, Danos said.

Last June, Tuck started construction on a new residence hall.