Wake Forest University School of Business
The Wake Forest University School of Business is the graduate business school of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate program, management-related masters programs, and executive education programs. History. It was established in 1969 as the Babcock Graduate School of Management, admitting its first classes of full-time and executive students in 1971 and presenting its first graduating class in 1973. The Babcock School was established with a gift from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation and named in honor of Charles H. Babcock, a noted businessman and philanthropist who  influenced civic, cultural, and economic development in Winston-Salem and North Carolina. In 1985, the Babcock Graduate School of Management earned its accreditation from the AACSB, and in 1993, the school moved into the newly constructed Worrell Professional Center, the first building in the nation to house both graduate business and law schools under one roof. In 1987, Babcock launched its evening Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in Winston-Salem, followed by an evening MBA program in Charlotte in 1995 and a Saturday MBA program in Charlotte in 2004. It was announced in the fall of 2014 that the  full-time MBA program would be discontinued in order to focus on the evening program, with the last class matriculating in the spring of 2016. Academics. Programs offered there include a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree program for undergraduates with majors in finance, accountancy, mathematical business, and business enterprise management. Graduate business programs include an evening MBA, MA in Management and MS in Accountancy. The School of Business also maintains a campus in Charlotte, North Carolina that houses the Charlotte evening and Saturday MBA programs. Centers and institutes. The Wake Forest University School of Business houses several centers and institutions . Marketing Summit & Elevator Competition. Each year, the Babcock School hosts a Marketing Summit which includes an MBA case competition, undergraduate case competition and a marketing forum. In the undergraduate case competition, competing teams participate in a three-phase challenge over the course of two months in which they deal with pressing issues facing the event's corporate sponsor. Another event at the Babcock School is the Elevator Competition. The competition was first held in 2000 and has been held every year since at the Wachovia Center in downtown Winston-Salem. During this competition, MBA students with an interest in entrepreneurship  pitch their ideas to a venture capitalist while riding in an elevator for two minutes. The objective is to earn more time to present their ideas formally to a panel of venture capitalists, which chooses the winners. Lecture series. Through the Babcock Leadership Series and Broyhill Executive Lecture Series, MBA students can meet, both formally and informally, with business and government leaders. Notable past speakers have included: Members of Pilobolus also visited to stress the importance of creative thinking in the business world. Career Management Center. The Career Management Center (CMC) staff works with students to assess career options, refine  goals, and network with well-placed corporate contacts. Beyond the immediate job search, the staff works with students to develop interview and résumé skills. Student clubs and organizations. Students at the Wake Forest University School of Business can choose from among nearly 20 clubs and organizations, or they can participate in a variety of events including the Greater Babcock Open and a Charity Auction. Student organizations include the Black Business Students Association, Entrepreneurs Club, Hispanic Club, Net Impact Club, Strategy and Consulting Club, Women in Business and The Joint Degree Society. International relationships. The Wake Forest University School of Business  has long-standing relationships with international business schools including eight international programs that allow faculty and students from each school to teach and study at the other. The partner schools are Bordeaux School of Business, France; EM-Lyon Graduate School of Management, France; European Business School, Germany; Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India; Institute of Business Studies, Russia; University of Kaiserslautern, Germany; WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany and Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. Faculty. More than 75% of the school's faculty have international consulting, teaching work or research experience. More than 90% hold a PhD  or other doctoral degree, 33% serve on a company board of directors, and 30% have experience owning their own company.