“Dave Wilson, BCom'64: I didn’t care much about getting into Berkeley, but I did care about marching at half time.”
Tricolour Award Winners
30s Snapshot
Bella bikes: Helen Vasilevski, BCom'92
The School of Business officially becomes a separate faculty with its own Dean.
School gets its own dean
Dunning Hall opens on the corner of University Avenue and Union Street.
Dunning Hall opens
AutoShare: Kevin McLaughlin, BCom'89
ICBC 20 during Ice Storm '98
Inaugural ICBC
“Merv Daub, BCom'66: We were just in front of the more radical wave of the sixties. Guys were starting to grow their hair long. I wore a beard, which was unheard of in Commerce, and certainly unheard of on the football team.”
Memories of the 60s
Due to postwar growth and financial assistance to veterans, the School experienced record enrolment, and professors were required to teach special sessions during the summer months to accommodate the large contingents.
Postwar growth
Across the continents: Rahim Lalani, BCom'11
Pursuit of happiness: Neil Pasricha, BCom'02
Award winning teacher: Yolande Chan
Frosh week changes
Memories of the 50s
“Inspired by his time working for his dad in real estate after graduation, Sam Battista, BCom'16, launched PropertySpark with two friends, including Matt Graves, BCom'18.”
PropertySpark
Student Spotlight: John Sibbald, BCom'18
Neil Pasricha remembers The Commerce COMMrade
Flight to freedom: Miriam, Humaira and Trina Ghiacy
On October 1, 2015, the School adopts a new name – Smith School of Business.
Smith School of Business
The 1920's were a period of growing pains for the newly formed School of Commerce and Administration.
BCom convocation hood is bordered with green silk
An unexpected career move: Eva Wong, BCom'00
White hat brigade
Niu Body's natural, vegan skincare: Connie Lo, BCom'15
“Helen Bronskill, BCom'48: The war was over, the world was our oyster, and everyone was going to be alright.”
Memories from a women in Commerce in the 40s
Concussion recovery technology: Colin Harding, BCom'17
#StillHaveMyFroshWeekTee: Peggy Steele, BCom'99
Prof. Frank Collom with School of Business secretaries
“Forever glad that I was 'Feeling fine in '89' as a Commie.”
Pat Baldwin, BCom'89, remembers his days in Commerce.
The evolving news business: Michael Nowlan, BCom'82
Queen’s Board of Trustees votes to create a separate School of Commerce and Business Administration.
A separate School of Commerce and Business Administration is created
Teaching award winner "energized": Peggy Cunningham
First Chartered Accountant extension courses are offered, making Queen’s the exclusive provider of CA education in Ontario and elsewhere.
Chartered Accountant extension courses
Student Spotlight: Zain Safdar, BCom'18
Queen's Marketing Association's Resource Centre opens
Case competition team to Dallas, TX
Student Spotlight: Bonnie Zhang, BCom'19
1984 crest painting
Up and away: Doug Wightman, BCom'04
Marketer, mentor, legend: Ken Wong inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends
John Purkis, BCom'48, on the Class of '48
“David was given the opportunity to choose one of three 'once in a lifetime' experiences.”
Gold Business Winner
Inaugural QBET
The computer lab opens
Dean, teacher, researcher, leader: John Gordon on over 25 years at the School
Launch of the first business degree program in Canada – Queen’s three-year Bachelor of Commerce – the genesis of Smith School of Business.
First business degree program in Canada launches
Memories from the 70s
New technology supports BCom Plus
RateHub on Dragon's Den
Frosh week cheer
Bachelor of Commerce Curriculum, 1949
Bachelor of Commerce Curriculum
Goodes Hall opens, named to recognize benefactor Mel Goodes, BCom’57, LLD’94.
Goodes Hall opens
Student Spotlight: Heather Evans, BCom'16
CBC's Next Great Prime Minister Competition: Robert Marsh, BCom'07
Halfpipe hopeful: Jeff Batchelor, BCom'12
A vintage summer
“His on-air talent combined with his business acumen eventually attracted the attention of producers for the Oprah Winfrey Network.”
Ready for his close-up
“A single course in Commerce by visiting professor Vladimir Popov inspired a lifelong fascination with Russian history and culture in Jeremy Estabrooks, BCom'98.”
A Russian detour
ICBC: five years of tradition
Memories from the 90s
Frosh week chorus line
Making waves: Janet Longmore, BCom'79
“Commerce students were encouraged to vote in a referendum asking students to support the levying of an optional fee that would raise $1.2 million in support of the Goodes Hall building expansion.”
Commerce students support Goodes Hall building expansion
“Within six weeks, Michael Organ's, BCom'88, website had more online traffic than the United Way.”
Helping busy people make a difference
Remembering Bill Miklas
“I found that once I started thinking about how economic growth can transform societies, it was difficult to think of anything else.”
International changemaker
Student Spotlight: Dakota Lavery, Comm'20
In and out of hot water: Dave Jackson, BCom'91
“Bob Shoniker, MBA'70: Up to 1968, Commerce was part of Arts and Science. I was part of the group that created the Commerce Society.”
Creating the Commerce Society
If you don’t succeed at ICBC, try try again!
O. D. Skelton convinces Queen's alum Dr. W. C. Clark to join him in the Department of Political and Economic Science.
Department of Political and Economic Science grows
Commerce Alumni: Smith staff and faculty
Student Spotlight: Erin Palmeter, BCom'18
Student Spotlight: Shirley Lin, BCom'18
Mel Goodes and Warner-Lambert pledge $1 million to the School of Business
Launch of the MBA program.
MBA program launches
“Time Auction makes it 'more enticing for people to get involved and help others.'”
Time Auction
Early Nineties Memories from Commerce: Tracy Jenkin, BCom'94
Young Urban Farmers: Chris Wong, BCom'07
Message from Commerce Department Head W.A. Mackintosh
Change agent: Tanya van Biesen, BCom'91
Student Spotlight: Aysha Tabassum, Comm'22
Although the forties began with rising enrolment numbers, the war soon took its toll.
War took its toll
Goodes Challenge kicks-off
“Though it originally started as a fun side project, Derek Szeto, BCom'05, ran RedFlagDeals.com throughout his undergraduate degree and decided to pursue it full time after finishing school.”
Group buying power
Student Spotlight: Hannah Gardner, BCom'18
The Lawrence legacy
Considering different perspectives: Stephani Kingsmill, BCom'88
"Master Teacher" Bill Cannon
80s Snapshot
Commerce founder: Professor O.D. Skelton
From accounting to the CFL: Danny Brannagan, BCom'09
A gap year in Africa: Clarisse Lau, BCom'09
Commerce's first home: 75 Union Street
The class of 1948
The Gist: making sports inclusive
Games that teach: Jane Wu, BCom'12
Queen's Entrepreneurs' Competition (QEC) celebrates 25 years
Time capsule dedication
Business Graphics Centre opens: Michael Organ, BCom'88
“Nancy Jenkinson, BCom'82: I’d never really lost the dream that I was going to end up in the mountains.”
Reigniting career passion
“Bram Warshafsky and Rachel Zimmer, BCom'10: Marketers were being asked to do more with less.”
5Crowd Inc
“Jonathan Suter, BCom'05: I believed there had to be a better way.”
SimpleTax
John Abbot, BCom'72: My BCom made me a better artist
“One of the highlights of Peter McConaghy's, BCom'07, work was seeing directly how the people of Tajikistan benefited from the bank’s microcredit activities.”
A year in Tajikistan
MobyTrip travel app: Misha Plotkine, BCom'10
Unata: Chris Bryson, BCom'06
Celebrating Dan Monieson
Career Mashup: Vanesa Cotlar, BCom'15
Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (and Centre for International Management) are established.
Two new centres are established
Student Spotlight: Kanak Nagee, BCom'18
Queen's Small Business Consulting wins big
Canadian Art Magazine’s Top 10: Scott Lyall, BCom'87
COMMitment dinner 2005
Between the years 1908 and 1914, the Department of Political and Economic Science at Queen's consisted of two men, Dr. O. D. Skelton and Dr. W. W. Swanson.
Banking courses launch
The great British bake shop: David Caldana, BCom'99
Lloyd & Co. Bespoke Tailoring: Talon Lloyd, BCom'15
Memories of the 80s
The Donald Gordon Centre for Continuing Education opens.
The Donald Gordon Centre opens
Gerald Sutton's 40s snapshot
Chefs Plate finds success: Patrick Meyer and Jamie Shea, BCom'11
Ecovention: Jennifer Wright, BCom'93
Vacation Fund: Erica Pearson, BCom'14
70s recollections
50s Snapshot
Management simulation lab at work
Parallel paths at Loblaw
Opening of 'The Commons'
Foodies without borders: Erin Maynes, BCom'07
Ice Storm '98
437 Swimwear: Hyla Nayeri and Adrien Bettio, BCom'17
Going global
90s Snapshot
60s Snapshot
A master of reinvention: Gord Ray, BCom'93
Dr. W. A. Mackintosh succeeds Dr. Clark as the Director of the School of Commerce and Administration.
Dr. W. A. Mackintosh becomes Director of the School
Fun in the craft brewing scene: Ryan Peterson, BCom'13
Marilyn Shurtleff and Marjorie Peart retire
Hayley Rushford, BCom'15, and Prof. Kate Rowbotham
Bachelor of Commerce Curriculum, 1998
“The difference with the 30% Club is that it’s a campaign.”
A seat at the table
70s Snapshot
“Douglas Peters, BCom'63, a future cabinet minister, did not go to university directly out of high school.”
Better late than never
Student Spotlight: Paul Vollmershausen, BCom'18
Getting an edge: Emmanuel Genene, BCom'20
“One of Gannon Jones', BCom'94, proudest accomplishments was SunChips' involvement in rebuilding the sustainable community of Greenburg, Kansas, after a devastating tornado in 2008.”
Working for the greater good
Goodes Hall Expansion
“Chris Labelle, BCom'14: Winning the pitch competition validated all of our hard work.”
Mosaic
“Its innovation, CNC Assembly – a flexible, high-speed assembly technology – was the subject of an episode of ‘How It’s Made’ on the Discovery Channel.”
Transformix, from humble beginnings to manufacturing success
25 years of ComSoc
Memories of the Thrifty 30s: John Welch, BCom'38
What women want: Joanna Griffiths, BCom'05
Capitalize for Kids: Jeff Gallant & Kyle MacDonald, BCom'11
“When she heard Jeremy proclaim that electric bikes were the next big thing, she immediately got to work.”
Amego Electric Vehicles
Better medicine: Carolyn Snider, BCom'96
Smith School of Business Announcement
Open for business: moving into Goodes Hall
Digital nomad: Vanessa Cotlar, BCom'15
At the close of the decade, Senior Matriculation followed by four years of study were required in the Commerce program.
Four years of study is required
Bachelor of Commerce Curriculum, 1976
Favourite professors from the 40s
‘Water Bowl’ of ‘38
Big League CFO: Erin Crowe, BCom'93
Dean: Margot Northey
Warner-Lambert pledges $1 million to the Commerce program
A new home for the School of Business
1919-1939
40s-50s
60s-70s
80s-90s
2000s-present
