Early Era — Establishing Leadership

1917	Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington (formerly UW Business School) was founded with 12 students and 7 faculty members and is the second oldest business school on the West Coast. Two degrees were offered, the BBA and the MBA.
1938	School of Business hosts the Pacific Coast Banking School, now an annual event, for the first time.
1949	Doctoral degree introduced. A record 3,054 students are enrolled at the School.
1950s	School is one of the first in the country to organize a residential executive development program, the Advanced Management Seminar. Short, customized programs, such as the Weyerhauser Middle Management Seminar, are also offered.
1966	Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis launched.

Late 20th Century — Expanding Programs

1980	Students enroll in the new Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc) Program.
1983	Executive MBA Program designed for mid- and senior-level managers first offered.
1990	The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is established.
1991	A grant from the U.S. Department of Education leads to the creation of the UW Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). Foster School remains the only Pacific Northwest CIBER and one of thirty housed in universities across the country.
1995	The Business and Economic Development Center is created to aid small businesses and increase economic opportunity in local distressed communities.
1996	Part-time Evening MBA Program is introduced.
1997	Global Executive MBA Program launched in association with Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea and the LG Group.

21st Century — Innovating in Business Education

2000	Part-time MBA students outnumber full-time MBA students for the first time.
	Full-time MBA Program introduces new curriculum that gives students more global and real-world application of their studies. First, students must complete at least three practical experiences that apply academic course knowledge to real business programs. Second, each student must have two international experiences (study abroad, internship out of the country, or international study tours) as part of their MBA.
2001	Technology Management MBA Program is introduced.
2004	The innovative MBA Leadership Development Program is introduced to the Full-time MBA Program, helping students improve communications skills, build and manage effective teams, and develop and practice leadership skills. It uniquely customizes a leadership plan for each student and integrates "soft skills" (inter-cultural relations, team-building, mentoring) with core MBA curriculum (such as accounting, finance, marketing).
2006	An Evening MBA version of the new MBA Leadership Development Program is launched.
2007	In recognition of the Foster Foundation's $50 million in philanthropy to the UW Business School, the University of Washington Board of Regents approved changing the School's name to the Michael G. Foster School of Business on Sept. 20, 2007. The Foster Foundation's 2007 gift of $36.5 million brought a lifetime total contribution to $50 million. These gifts will be used to help transform the School by increasing faculty endowments and student scholarships, creating innovative new programs and building new facilities.
	The design process is well underway for a new home for the Foster School of Business; construction of the first two new buildings is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008. New state-of-the-art facilities are designed to improve the learning environment, promote inter-disciplinary collaboration, foster team building, stimulate strategic and entrepreneurial thinking, and serve as a hub for engaging local, national, and international business leaders in business education.