The Department of Business Administration has been renamed the Nicolais School of Business to honor Margaret Christie Nicolais ’49 H’14 and the late Michael A. Nicolais ’49 H’14, who died on November 7, 2016.
Michael and Margaret met at Wagner College, where they majored in business administration. Michael became an investment manager for the Clark Estates and for Wall Street firms. He served on the Wagner College Board of Trustees, and the family became major College benefactors. (Read our 2011 feature story about the Nicolaises and their longtime relationship to Wagner College.) Continuing Michael and Margaret’s devotion to the College, their daughter, Joan Nicolais, now serves as a trustee.
Under the chairmanship of Donald Crooks, associate professor of business administration, the Nicolais School is working on curricular adjustments and other improvements leading to a higher level of accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Already launched is a new MS/MBA in accounting; intended for MS in accounting graduates, it requires 18 additional credit hours of work to reach the MBA. Also, for students who do not have an undergraduate degree in business, the new MBA in accounting will help them prepare to meet the requirements to sit for the CPA exam in New York State.