Informal History of Business Education at Eastern New Mexico University

What eventually became Eastern New Mexico University was initially authorized by the New Mexico State Legislature as a Normal School, i.e. an institution for educating teachers. The 1927 Legislature located the school in Portales, but it was not until the Legislature of 1929 when the first appropriation for buildings was authorized. The first unit of the Administration Building was completed in 1931, but the first courses were not offered until the summer of 1934 in what had become a Junior College.

According to its current Mission Statement, The College of Business at Eastern New Mexico sees as its “…mission is to provide a relevant, innovative education which prepares individuals for professional careers and lifelong learning….” The College achieves its mission through the recruitment and ret

ention of diverse, credentialed, and competent faculty, a diverse student body, an academically sound curriculum responsive to the needs of those who hire our students, the provision of distance learning via the latest in education technology and adherence to professional accreditation standards.

From its inception, business education at Eastern has displayed three consistent tenants, i.e. dedicated, and qualified faculty teaching academically sound programs, all of which were supported by succeeding central administrations. One has only to read the results of surveys of business graduates, undergraduate and graduate, over the years to realize that the College has been successful in accomplishing its mission.

The latest survey was conducted this summer and a few representative responses will be quoted herein. All of the responses are available in the office of the dean, College of Business. A graduate student responded to the following question thusly: “In looking over your career, what was the value of your ENMU Education? As I indicated in the above question, the professors make the difference and put the value in learning.” An alumnus with a bachelors degree answered the same question as follows: “having transferred to ENMU from UNM in my junior year, I found a TREMENDOUS asset in the smaller classes and caring professors in the ENMU COB. The personal touch and true concern that I felt my professors had for my education has led me to understand the importance of making others that I encounter in my career feel important and respected. The importance of that personal attention has made a BIG difference in not only the way I view my career, but also my success in it.” A much earlier alumnus stated that his “…education at ENMU was invaluable in my career and in my life in general. It provided me with a means of securing employment to provide for my family and to become a useful citizen of the community. I retired in 1992 as the Director of Information Systems of the largest equine breed registry in the world.” Survey responders display the same sentiments and statements time after time.

As the institution evolved over time from a Junior College to a regional university with branch campuses, what eventually became the College of Business also evolved and changed. Its configuration changed, as did the programs it offered and how they were offered, reflecting changing technology and the demands of the institutions that employed its graduates. Homeostasis was and is an unknown condition to business education.

For a number of years, educating teachers of general business and students in secretarial science played a large role in the college. By the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the demand for these programs tapered off and they were discontinued. At the same time the demand by would-be employers for students knowledgeable in the field of Information Technology grew and various programs were added to satisfy this demand.

The name College of Business first appears in the University Catalog of 1968-1970. That designation, i.e. College of Business has remained unchanged to this point in time.

In 1969 a two-year branch campus of Eastern New Mexico University opened in Roswell, NM, becoming over time the ENMU-Roswell campus. All business programs offered by the Roswell campus were and are closely coordinated with the College of Business.

What opened in 1970 as the Clovis Vocational School was, by 1974, referred to as the Clovis Campus of Eastern New Mexico University. The introductory courses in business administration offered by what became Clovis Community College in 1990 are accepted by the College of Business.

The Ruidoso Instructional Center opened in 1991, becoming the ENMU-Ruidoso campus in 2005. It also coordinates its business course offerings with the College of Business.

The College of Business had been offering graduate courses at Cannon Air Force Base, ENMU-Roswell, and at the New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs for a number of years; initially, the classes were taught by faculty who drove to these locations to meet classes that met once a week.

In 1978 the first Interactive Television (ITV) link was established to ENMU-R. This consisted of one dedicated classroom on the Portales campus located in the Liberal Arts building and one classroom in the old administration building at ENMU-R. Additional channels were added in 1984-1985.

Initially, only the MBA program was offered in the evening. While numerous undergraduate courses were offered during the evening, it was not until the mid-1980’s that students could study for an academic program offered in its entirety in the evening. The first such academic major offered in the evening was the Accounting major, due largely to the efforts of Dr. Hiner, Mr. Smartnick, and Dr. Whitaker

For a number of years the College of Business did not have a “home” of its own. Faculty offices and classrooms were located at various places across the campus. This all changed in the fall semester of 1979 when the current College of Business building was initially occupied. The formal dedication ceremony took place on May 9, 1980 under the auspices of then University President Warren Armstrong and Dean of the College of Business, Louise Taylor-Hudgeons.

Timeline

The Eastern New Mexico Junior College Bulletin for 1937-1938, the earliest one in the archives at Golden Library, lists Assistant Professor in Commerce Harold H. Green. The College curriculum was organized into Divisions. In the Division of Vocational Efficiency under Commerce there appeared a two year Secretarial Science major. This major, in addition to the expected courses in typing and shorthand, prescribed three semester hours (s.h.) of Accounting, a three s.h. course titled Introduction to Business, a three s.h. course in Economics, and six s.h. of Business Law and Accounting listed in the Electives Bloc.

A Business Administration major makes its initial appearance in the 1938-1939 Eastern New Mexico Junior College Bulletin. It was listed in the Division of Vocational Efficiency. Although Secretarial Science did not appear in any of the Academic Divisions, the same Secretarial Science major appeared in the Curricula of the College.

An Instructor in Commerce, C. J. Brasher, was listed in the Faculty, but a footnote stated that he had resigned in 1938-1939. Assistant Professor in Commerce Harold H. Green is once again listed in Faculty. The Business Administration major consisted of fifty-five s.h. of required courses and twelve s.h. of electives.

Making his initial appearance in the Eastern New Mexico Junior College Bulletin of 1939-1940 is Assistant Professor in Business Administration William Pickel. Note that the Commerce designation has given way to Business Administration in faculty titles.

As in the 1938-1939 Bulletin, there is a Secretarial Science major that appears to stand alone, and the Business Administration major appears in the Division of Vocational Efficiency.

The Junior College becomes a College with the Fall Semester of 1940. The 1940-1941 Bulletin carries now-Assistant Professor in Accounting William Pickel as Chairman, School of Business Administration. The Business Administration major has become a four-year program and although the Secretarial Science program is housed within the School of Business Administration, it is still a two-year program. Ella Becky Sharp appears for the first time as an Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science. Instructor in Secretarial Science Kathryn Henrietta Bryant joins her.

The 1941-1942 Bulletin carries the following instructors identified as teaching Business or Secretarial Science courses.

Arvel Branscum, Assistant Professor in Business Administrations
William Pickel, Assistant Professor in Accounting
Ella Becky Sharp, Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science.

The School of Business Administration offers a four-year Business Administration program and a two-year Secretarial Science program.

The 1942-1943 Bulletin is a bit confusing in that it identifies the School of Business Administration as just that in two places and then it refers to the School of Business Administration and Economics in another place. The Secretarial Science program does not appear in the School of Business Administration, but it is once more listed as a stand alone two-year program.

Regardless, the following faculty members are identified as teaching Business Administration courses and Secretarial Science courses.

Arvel Branscum, Assistant Professor in Business Administration.
Rubye Lee Cochran, Instructor in Secretarial Science
William Pickel, Assistant Professor in Business Administration
Ella Becky Sharp, Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science

The College Bulletin of 1943-1944 indicates that the School of Business Administration continues to offer the one program, i.e. Business Administration. The Secretarial Science program continues to be offered as a two-year stand-alone entity. Appearing for the first time in the School of Teacher Education is a four-year Curriculum for Commercial Teachers. Its specific objectives were: (1) “preparation for teaching of commercial subjects in secondary schools; (2) training for office positions.”

The effects of World War II on faculty are reflected in the College Bulletin of 1943-1944.

Arvel Branscum, Assistant Professor in Business Administration is shown as “On leave of absence for war service.”
Hazel R. Coutts, Instructor in Business Administration
Mrs. Agrie Jones, Instructor in Secretarial Science
Luella Madden, Instructor in Secretarial Science
William T. Pickel, Assistant Professor in Business Administration
Ella Becky Sharp, Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science is carried as “On leave of absence for war service.”

In the College bulletin of 1944-1945 the School of Business Administration continues to offer a four-year curriculum. The School of Education is offering for the first time the following: a four-year program for Teachers of Business Science; and a four-year degree program for Teachers of Secretarial Science.

The 1944-1945 Bulletin lists the following faculty for July 1943-July 1944 who could be identified as teaching business subjects and secretarial science subjects.

Arvel Branscum – Assistant Professor in business Administration is once again carried as “On leave for War Service”
Mrs. Agrie Jones – Instructor in Secretarial Science
Luella Madden – Instructor in Secretarial Science
William T.Pickel – Assistant Professor in Business Administration and Economics (The first time we see Economics in a title)
Ella Becky Sharp – Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science is also shown as “On leave for War Service”

College Bulletin of 1945-1946 and 1946-1947 is one issue. It has a Supplement to Record Changes in Calendar, Personnel, and Curricula Items listed in the 1944-1945 Bulletin.

William T. Pickel –Assistant Professor in Business Administration and Economics is shown under Withdrawals in the Supplement.
Arthur Peter Becker – Assistant Professor in Business Administration and Economics appears as a New Member in the Supplement

The School of Business and Economics continues to offer a four-year curriculum, and now offers a two-year curriculum in General Business. The School of Education continues to offer a four-year Curriculum for Teachers of Business Science and a four –year Curriculum for Teachers of Secretarial Science. The two-year Secretarial Science Curriculum is located in the School of Vocations.

In the Bulletin proper, the following faculty appears.

James William Van Winkle - Instructional Chairman (acting); Instructor in Business and Economics
Arvel Branscum – Assistant Professor in Business and Economics
Elva Jones – Instructor in Secretarial Science
Ella Becky Sharp – Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science, “on leave of absence for military service.”

The College Bulletin, 1947-1948 has the following statement headed “ACCREDIMENT
Eastern New Mexico College is now a fully accredited institution by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools…” (p. 4)

Arthur Daniel Jacobsen appears as Instructional Chairman for the School of Business and Economics. For the first time reference is made to the standards of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Business.

The School now offers majors in Accounting, Economics or General Business, and Personnel Administration. It also continues to offer a two-year curriculum in Secretarial Science, and in conjunction with the School of Teacher Education, four-year curricula for the teaching of Secretarial Science and for Business Science.

Under faculty, the following are listed.

Arvel Wilson Branscum - Assistant Professor in Business and Economics
Arthur Daniel Jackson – Associate Professor in Business and Economics
Emily Ellen Langford – Instructor in Business and Economics
Luella Madden – Instructor in Secretarial Science
Ella Becky Sharp – Assistant Professor in Secretarial Science

In the 1948-49 College Bulletin (ABRIDGED EDITION) in the State