Anniversary of the MBA

Quincy University’s Master in Business Administration degree program has been preparing leaders in the workforce for the past 35 years. Developed by the late Fr. Melvin Grunloh ’55, OFM, PhD, CPA, former chair of the business department, the program has seen more than 600 graduates. Fr. Melvin began teaching full-time at Quincy College in 1961. While serving as chairman of the division of business and accounting, he researched and developed the curriculum for the MBA program. He worked on the plan for several years with the help of the late Richard Magliari, PhD, but became ill around the time the program became a reality. Gabriel Manrique, PhD, the first director of the MBA program and Frank Naggi, the first coordinator of the MBA worked to get the program started on the right foot. They maintained manageable class sizes and carefully planned part-time curriculum of evening and weekend classes to meet the needs of those first students. In the spring of 1987, the MBA reached its first milestone with the announcement of the first graduating class.