Following its establishment in 1919, the School of Business grew steadily. During the Depression, this was partly attributable to the poor employment prospects that led young people to delay entry into the job market for a free college education. In the 1940s, the postwar economic boom elevated the stature of business as a profession and increased enrollment at business schools. In 1949, 3,500 students were enrolled, making the School of Business the largest school within City College. The students included women, who were first allowed to take classes at the school in 1930.
As the largest school within CCNY, the School of Business and Civic Administration developed an identity that students and faculty saw as distinct from City College’s uptown campus. This was heightened during the early years of the Cold War, when the politically moderate business students were concerned that CCNY had a radical reputation. In 1949, a faculty committee suggested a new name that would raise the profile of the School of Business and differentiate it from CCNY’s uptown campus. The clear choice was to name the school after Bernard Baruch, one of the most distinguished CCNY alumni who attended the school in the original Free Academy building, graduating in 1889 before becoming a prominent financier and advisor to U.S. Presidents. He was also a former CCNY trustee and generous contributor to the college and business school. Baruch accepted the honor and the school was renamed the Bernard M. Baruch School of Business and Public Administration in 1953.
