Welcome

Welcome to the Dalton State College’s C. Lamar and Ann Wright School of Business.

If you are looking for a best-value, AACSB-Accredited business program, known for our highly acclaimed, personalized teaching, you are in the Wright place. The Wright School of Business, listed in the 2022 US News and World Report as a Best Undergraduate Business Programs rankings, offers AACSB-accredited Bachelor of Business Administration degrees to meet your professional goals. Less than 5% of the schools worldwide granting business degrees have earned the premier AACSB accreditation. 

If you are a prospective student, you are in the Wright place. We offer six AACSB accredited Bachelor of Business Administration Degrees along with minors in Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Financial Technology (FinTech), Forensic Accounting, and Human Resource Management. Include a short-term study abroad program as part of your curriculum to gain the global experience demanded by today's employers. Join the Wright Club and meet regional business leaders and tour service and manufacturing organizations for learning and development opportunities beyond the classroom.  If you are a freshman, consider job shadowing a local business executive to learn more about careers in business and help you choose a business major. If you are a junior, consider working in an internship within your field of study. See your professor or the WSOB Associate Dean, Dr. Jamie Connors, for more details.

If you simply want to take a course to update your business skills, you are in the Wright place.  You may audit any Wright School of Business courses through our "Educational Enhancement" program.  You pay only for the tuition fees and books and do not pay DSC student fees. You will receive a Certification of Completion for each course.  FinTech, Business Analytics, Investments, and Social Media Marketing are some of our most popular courses to audit.

Not a business major, but thinking of starting your own business, you are still at the Wright place. We offer two minors for non-business majors in Business and Financial Technology to compliment your primary area of study. Many health care, communications, and history majors, for example, add a business minor to their program.

Are you an alumnus? Do you need to add a minor? Thinking of a new major? Then come back to DSC and the WSOB. Want to sit for the CPA exam? Return to the WSOB and complete additional courses for the 150-hour requirement? Interested in an MBA or MACC? We have relationships with area and regional graduate schools. Interested in attending business presentations, alumni events, and other networking opportunities? We welcome your participation in preparing our current students for the world of business by hosting internships, participating in mock interviews, or serving as our Employer of the Day to meet current students and introduce them to your company. 

Are you a friend of the Wright School of Business? We welcome the opportunity to partner with you. We have an active internship program and would love to place our business students with your company in Accounting, Finance, and Applied Economics, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Management, or Management Information Systems. Do you have part-time or career openings? We would love to announce these openings to our business students.

In Gignilliat Hall, we have modern, large spaces with classrooms, seminar and meeting space in our Biz Hub, study and team areas, a marketing focus group lab, student gathering spaces, a finance lab, and an overall modern feel to welcome students and business guests alike. We will also have company interview rooms and open atrium space for studying and networking. This $10 million expansion and renovation, completed in 2019, was funded by C. Lamar and Ann Wright with a matching contribution by the Georgia Board of Regents. We also have a WSOB practicum classroom in the Dalton Innovation Acceleration (DIA) in downtown Dalton where students work with area start-ups and nascent entrepreneurs in this incubator space. Additional expansion with a terrace, outdoor seating, two stock tickers, a world clock, two glass study pods, and the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society key, international flags, and WSOB and AACSB accreditation signage was completed in 2023.

We have an outstanding, dedicated group of faculty and staff who are active in the business and professional community and engaged in a host of in-field research and business service projects. The latest technologies and software, including Sonar and SAP, are integrated throughout our curriculum.  Our curriculum includes business projects, cases, the latest business software, and activities that mirror the world of work to ensure our graduates are uniquely prepared for future business careers with regional employers.

Regardless of your status or need, please visit the many pages of our website to learn about all the programs and initiatives we have to offer at the Wright School of Business.

It is my pleasure to serve as Dean, and I challenge you to become involved in the Wright School of Business. To quote Lamar Wright (class of 1969), "We are changing lives at Dalton State College." Other popular sayings of Ann and Lamar Wright, along with their favorite business quotes, are featured throughout Gignilliat Hall. Stop by for a visit or tour. You are always welcome.

Thank you,

Marilyn M. Helms, DBA, CFPIM, CIRM, CFSCM, CQM/OE, CFLTD

Dean and Sesquicentennial Endowed Chair and Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management
706-272-2600 (Work)   423-718-9118(Mobile)
mhelms@daltonstate.edu