Our History

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alumni dinner

SIU Carbondale began offering a bookkeeping class in 1894 and gradually added additional business courses through the years until 1957. That’s when a separate School of Business and Administration was established under the leadership of the school's first dean, Henry J. Rehn. Rehn was a visionary who embraced innovation and promoted teaching excellence and curriculum reform. Under Rehn’s leadership, the school expanded its course offerings, fostered a stellar academic culture and inaugurated the graduate programs.

Today, the College of Business and Analytics includes the School of Accountancy, School of Analytics, Finance and Economics, and the School of Management and Marketing. We offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and we’re one of only three public institutions in Illinois to do so. U.S. News & World Report ranks us as one of the top 100 public business schools nationwide.

Our enrollment averages about 1,100 undergraduates and 250 graduate students from all over the world.

Rehn Hall, dedicated in 1983, is home to the College of Business and Analytics and it’s the place where you'll see we're continuing Rehn's vision of a school offering an extraordinary learning experience.

Our more than 20,000 alumni make significant contributions worldwide in their careers and in their communities. Many are so pleased with their SIU experience that they remain involved with the University, mentoring our students and helping the next generation of successful business graduates in a number of ways.