Milestones

Under Snyder, Chicago Booth saw many positive changes that helped establish the school as one of the premier institutions for graduate business education. This is evidenced by the systematic move upwards in six MBA rankings done by major publications. Since Snyder became dean, Booth was ranked in the top 10 in 74 of 78 rankings. The schools’ BusinessWeek ranking went from 10th to 1st.

Snyder’s initiatives included:

  • Defined the Senior Staff – the group of Associate Deans and Executive Directors who have major responsibilities in leading the school.
  • Doubling the number of endowed professorships.  As of 2011, the school has 48 endowed professorships, with 4 more funded and another 9 committed. In 2001, Booth had 27 endowed professorships.
  • Launching the Faculty Competitive Initiative resulting in the highest retention of senior faculty in five decades.
  • Encouraging faculty engagement, resulting in dramatic changes in the school’s signature events (Management Conference and the Business Forecast), new research programs, and a willingness to become more visible in global media.

    2010

    • Booth has the 7th largest endowment among business schools.  This does not include the Booth gift (2008), which is separate from the University of Chicago held endowment.
    • Fiscal record:  Cumulative operating surpluses (before capital expenditures) of $100.4 million by June 30, 2010.
    • Launched the Center for Research in Security Prices indices project, which will generate large guaranteed license revenues on newly-developed indices beginning in 2011.
    • BusinessWeek ranks Chicago Booth #1 among U.S. schools
    • Economist ranks Chicago #1

    2009

    • 17.1% annual average increase in MBA scholarship support for full-time students over nine budget cycles from 2001-02 through 2008-09.
    • Increased market value of the Ph.D. program endowment from was $2.7 million in 2001 to $13.9 million as of September 2009.
    • Led a transparent process in 2009 to “reset the budget”.
    • Launched the Nielsen Marketing database projects, which bring to Chicago Booth the largest tranches of marketing-oriented data in history to a business school.

    2008

    • Helped secure the largest gift to any business school in the world. David Booth, ’71, gives a $300 million gift to the renamed University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The gift is also the largest in the history of the University of Chicago.
    • BusinessWeek ranks Chicago Booth #1 among U.S. schools
    • Economist ranks Chicago #1

    2007

    • Charles Harper, ‘50, gives naming gift to Booth for Hyde Park Campus
    • The Initiative on Global Markets is established

    2006

    • BusinessWeek ranks Chicago Booth #1 among U.S. schools

    2005

    • Chicago Booth announces relocation of Barcelona campus to London – new campus opens in Summer
    • New scholarships created for Women MBAs
    • National Black MBA Association names Booth outstsanding educational institution

    2004

    • The new Charles M. Harper Center opens in Hyde Park
    • The Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory is established

    2002

    • Chicago Booth breaks ground for a new Hyde Park campus
    • Michael Polsky, ’87, donates $7 million to entrepreneurship center