Barr, John A.
Biography
John A. Barr became dean of the School of Business at Northwestern University, succeeding Richard Donham, on June 1, 1965. Before coming to the School of Business, Barr was the chairman of Montgomery Ward and Co. (1955-1965) and served on Northwestern's Board of Trustees (1957-1965). The School of Business became the Graduate School of Management (GSM) in 1969 and terminated the undergraduate curriculum by 1970. The educational mission of the Graduate School of Management shifted from business administration to management training in all fields, public and private. Hospital and Health Services Administration and Public Management were among the first new graduate programs developed as a result of the revamped mission. Preliminary work creating the Educational Management program in conjunction with Northwestern's School of Education was well underway by the end of Barr's tenure in 1975. The management school also relocated during Barr's deanship from the Chicago campus to Nathaniel Leverone Hall on the Evanston campus. Barr retired in 1975. He passed away on January 16, 1979 at the age of 70.
For more information on Dean Barr and the Graduate School of Management see: The Evolution of Management Education: A History of the Northwestern University J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 1908-1983, Chapter 5, by Michael W. Sedlak and Harold F. Williamson.