UD's first MBA grad retired after 50 years of exemplary government service

4:15 p.m., Oct. 2, 2003--Back in 1955, Robert L. Johnson was one of a kind—the first and, at least temporarily, the only recipient of the University’s brand-new master’s degree in business administration.

In 1955, Robert L. Johnson received the first MBA degree granted by UD.

After earning his undergraduate degree at UD in accounting in 1953, Johnson enrolled in graduate school just as the University launched its MBA program. With financial help from the GI Bill, the World War II veteran attended MBA classes two nights a week in a Wilmington, Del., high school building, while working full time for the federal government at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

“There were about 18 of us in the class, all men and all working professionals,” Johnson said. “There was only one required course, which was economics, and the rest were electives. In those days, we also had to do a thesis to graduate, which was the most time-consuming part of the program.”

Johnson, who used a project he was involved in at work as the starting point for his thesis research, was able to finish ahead of other students in that first MBA class and to graduate in spring 1955. For the next year, he said, “I could say I was the only MBA from the University of Delaware.”

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UD kicks off 50th anniversary celebration for MBA Program

Committee plans events for MBA Program's 50th year

Today, as the MBA program prepares to mark its 50th anniversary, the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics has planned a series of special events for the 2003-04 school year. In conjunction with those plans, organizers hope to hear from as many of the program’s 2,600 alumni as possible.

The program has changed in many ways over the past 50 years, now offering a full-time option as well as the traditional, and still most popular, part-time curriculum for working professionals. Part-time students enjoy enhanced flexibility in their scheduling today, while full-time students can take advantage of corporate internships and other real-world experiences, according to Gloria Diodato, assistant dean for the College’s graduate and executive programs.

“I think flexibility is the highlight of our program,” Diodato said. “We’re offering the entire core of required business courses in Wilmington as well as Newark, so students can choose the most convenient location. We’re also offering summer courses, so students can accelerate or rearrange their schedules to fit the demands of career and family.”

The current MBA curriculum consists of 10 required business courses and six electives, which a student can select to create an individual area of specialization, said Ron Sibert, the MBA program manager. That specialization might extend beyond the College into such fields as engineering or public administration, according to each student’s area of interest, he said.

Robert Johnson donated his 1955 diploma to the College a few years ago. It has been framed and placed on display in the Office of Graduate and Executive Programs. Photo by Duane Perry

“Students are actually able to customize their MBA now, which gives them even more flexibility,” Sibert said.

Other opportunities for the program’s 300 current students are a recently expanded emphasis on globalization, including study abroad, and a special, accelerated Executive MBA program in which experienced business professionals complete their coursework entirely on weekends.

“The program has so many more elements today that I sometimes wish I could come back and get an MBA again,” said Johnson, who donated his 1955 diploma to the College a few years ago. It has been framed and placed on display in the Office of Graduate and Executive Programs.

A 1999 recipient of the College’s Alumni Award of Excellence, Johnson retired in 1997 with more than 50 years of government service, including 26 years as comptroller, financial manager and director of resource management at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He serves in numerous community organizations and currently is spearheading a partnership between Aberdeen Proving Ground and the Harford County (Md.) public schools to establish a competitive high school for top students in math, science and technology.

Article by Ann Manser, AS ’73, CHEP ’73

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