Biography
Stephen Archer was the founding dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. His dream was to build a prestigious program that would provide top-quality management education for students interested in careers in business, government and not-for-profit organizations.
When Archer arrived at Willamette University in 1973 to serve as the first Dean of what was then the “Graduate School of Administration,” there were no students, no faculty, and his office was in the basement of the women’s dorm. He started with five faculty in the first year of the program and helped create the joint degree program with the Willamette University College of Law. He served dual roles as Dean and Professor.
Today, Steve proudly notes “our MBA program is one of only two in the U.S. accredited for both business and public administration. We provide a top-quality education to our business students, and we prepare our not-for-profit and public administration students with that same top-quality education.” Sounds like a dream come true.