History

Grand Valley State University opened its doors in 1963. The first economics courses were taught in 1965, with a School of Business and Economics being established in 1970.

Through a generous gift provided by the Seidman Family Foundation, the F.E. Seidman Graduate College was formed in 1973. The undergraduate and graduate programs were merged into one School, the Seidman College, in 1979. After a university-wide restructuring in 1983, the Seidman College was re-named the Seidman School of Business, offering the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics, Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Master of Science in Taxation (MST) degrees. The Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) was added in 2002. In July 2004 the Seidman School  was once again re-named the Seidman College of Business.

In 1988, the opening of the Grand Rapids Eberhard Center facility provided opportunities for offering courses in Grand Rapids in addition to those offered on the Allendale Campus. The school has continued to grow and prosper, adding new faculty and staff each year, and expanding its program outreach to the Lakeshore communities of Muskegon, and Holland. In the summer of 2000, the Seidman School of Business moved into its new home at the DeVos Center, a new $50 million facility which also houses international trade institute and other GVSU graduate programs. Linkages with both the local and international business communities are enhanced by this new state-of-the-art facility in downtown Grand Rapids.

The AACSB International-The International Association for Management Education accredited all of the business programs in 1997, including a separate accounting accreditation.