About Neeley | History 

The Neeley School of Business at TCU is one of the oldest in Texas. TCU was founded in 1873, and the School of Business opened in 1884 as Commercial School, renamed School of Business in 1896, and College of Business in 1901. The Department of Business Administration was established in 1922, and became the School of Business in 1938 which was the first year a master of business administration was offered. Student organizations included the TCU Chamber of Commerce, begun in 1939, and the Collegiate Business and Professional Women’s Club. E.M. Sowell was appointed the first dean in 1944. In 1967, the School of Business was named for M.J. Neeley in honor of his personal service of 25 years on the TCU Board of Trustees and financial contributions to TCU. Applications have risen steadily in recent years. The Neeley School currently makes up one-third of the TCU student population.

Our Namesake

M. J. Neeley
M. J. Neeley epitomizes the confident attitude that permeates his namesake business school. A graduate of A&M, Neeley adopted TCU and Fort Worth wholeheartedly when he moved here as a bookkeeper for Hobbs Manufacturing. When that company was struggling, Neeley purchased it from skeptical owners and built it into a tremendous success. Today, Hobbs is part of the trucking manufacturer Terex, a Fortune 500 company.

Over the years, Neeley proved his entrepreneurial spirit by owning approximately 30 companies. He had a discerning eye for business and grasped opportunity at every turn. It is said he had an uncanny ability to look at a financial statement and see what was wrong with a company, then fix it.

Neeley was elected to the TCU Board of Trustees in 1947, served as chairman from 1969-72, and was named an honorary trustee in 1975. He and his wife, Alice, founded Starpoint School on the campus in 1966 for children with special learning needs. In 1967, TCU’s business school was formally named after him. In 1981, Neeley endowed two professorships at the business school in marketing and management. In 1987, the Center for Professional Communication opened with Neeley's $1.6-million endowment.        

Former Deans of the Neeley School of Business        

Other Important People in Our History

Charles Tandy
Many people consider Charles Tandy second only to Amon Carter in representing the interests of Fort Worth to the world. Tandy graduated from TCU in 1940, received his MBA from Harvard, served in the Navy during World War II, then returned to Fort Worth to work for his father's company. In 1963, he bought RadioShack, one of America's greatest success stories. He constantly stressed the value of college education, espoused the benefits of TCU, instigated scholarships, and brought training programs to the company.

Dan D. Rogers
Dan Rogers was a 1909 graduate – and cheerleader – of what
was then known as the Commercial School of TCU. He was
elected trustee in 1915 and helped guide TCU’s tremendous growth over 37 years. A Dallas business leader, he remained devoted to TCU all his life.

Sarah and Steve Smith
Steve Smith is an Austin developer who has pursued entrepreneurial interests throughout his career. It was that dedication that caused Smith and his wife Sarah to make the largest non-alumni donation in the history of TCU, to build the $15 million state-of-the-art Smith Hall that houses the Neeley Entrepreneurship Program.