About

The study of business began at Radford during the 1960s with the offering of Economics courses. This was followed by the creation of the Economics major and the Department of Economics in 1969. During the 1974-75 academic year, coursework in other areas of business were added and the department was expanded to become the Department of Business and Economics. Continued growth in the business area resulted in the creation of the School of Business and Professional Studies in 1978.  In 1982, graduate study in business began with the approval of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

One of the historic buildings on the Radford campus, Whitt Hall, was renovated and rededicated in 1983 becoming the new home to the College of Business and Economics. In 1992, the College of Business and Economics received initial accreditation of its undergraduate and graduate programs from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, now known as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Both programs were reaccredited by AACSB in the Fall of 1997 and most recently reaffirmed in 2022-23. 

As a part of Radford University’s 2010 Centennial activities, the university broke ground on a $44 million, 110,000 square foot state-of-the-art building. The new home for the College was opened in August 2012 and in Spring 2016 was named Kyle Hall in recognition of Penelope Kyle’s 11 years of service as President of Radford University. In October 2018, the college was officially named the Sandra C. Davis and William C. Davis College of Business and Economics. Sandra C. and William C. Davis donated the largest gift in the history of the University to date. Their donation will fund scholarships for 80 students each year who will be known as Davis Scholars.