Babson College

Early Babson Institute 1919-1920: Original location at Roger and Grace Babson's former home on Abbott Road 1920–1922: Second location on Washington Street 20th century In the fall of 1908, Roger W. Babson met Sidney Linnekin, a young carpenter from Gloucester, Massachusetts , who impressed him with his diligence while working on Babson’s garage in Wellesley Hills . Their acquaintance led to a collaboration when Linnekin expressed interest in studying economics and bond salesmanship. Babson created a correspondence course in bond-selling, the first of its kind in the United States, which Linnekin later helped market and expand into a broader program in business education. [ 4 ] This initiative grew into a significant educational enterprise offering courses in economics, finance, and distribution, with Linnekin eventually serving as sales manager. The combination of Babson's collaboration with Linnekin and his experience at the LSE inspired the eventual founding of the Babson Institute. On September 3, 1919, with an enrollment of twenty-seven students, the Babson Institute held its first classes in the former home of Roger and Grace Babson on Abbott Road in Wellesley Hills. [ citation needed ] The institute's curriculum focused on practical experience. Students observed manufacturing processes during field trips to area factories and businesses, and viewed industrial films on Saturday mornings. The institute also maintained a business environment as part of the students' everyday life. Students kept regular business hours and were monitored by punching in and out on a time clock. They were assigned an office desk equipped with standard machines. Personal secretaries typed the students' assignments and correspondence in an effort to accurately reflect the business world.

Roger Babson aimed to "prepare his students to enter their chosen careers as executives, not anonymous members of the work force." [ 5 ] In 1969, Babson converted its three-year Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree into a four-year Bachelor of Science degree. That same year, the institute became a college, and women were admitted for the first time. [ 6 ]

Babson is involved in a three-college collaboration with Olin College and Wellesley College , often called BOW. [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

Main article: Campus of Babson College Pre-1950 Roger Babson purchased farmland in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1921 to establish the permanent campus. This land became the foundation for the college's growth and development. The campus has grown to over 350 acres (1.4 km 2 ) and is located in the "Babson Park" section of Wellesley, Massachusetts, fifteen miles west of Boston . [ 9 ] Babson began building its quadrangle with the construction of Babson Park Clubhouse (renamed Park Manor South) in 1925 and Park Manor Central in 1930. Babson built the Coleman Map Building in 1925 to house the "Great Relief Map." [ 10 ] Built on a spherical surface to match the Earth's curvature, the map measured 63 by 46 feet, covering 3,000 square feet.