The export-focused textile industry of Eastern Switzerland needs well-educated, talented young businesspeople. As a result, the Cantonal Council decides on 26 May 1898 to set up a “higher school (academy) for trade, traffic and administration” in St.Gallen. State Councillor Theodor Curti pulls the strings to make this happen.

The school moves into the west wing of the cantonal school at Burggraben and opens its doors to modest fanfare on 3 May 1899. It starts its first semester with seven registered students and 85 auditors.

The link between the school of transport administration and the business academy is plagued from the outset; the two are separated at this point. The first becomes a cantonal institution, while the business academy becomes a state institution, supported by the political municipality, the citizens’ municipality and the Commercial Directorate of St.Gallen.

While there is no longer any doubt that women are entitled to attend university in Switzerland, there were only very few regular female students in the early days. In March 1905, St.Gallen native Elsa Rannacher becomes the first female graduate of HSG. She is followed in the summer of 1905 by Henriette Zoller, who earned a business diploma.

As the student population grows, the “business college”, as it would be known from now on, moves to a new building. This involves architect Carl Adolf Lang creating the first structure purpose-built for HSG, located at Notkerstrasse 20. His plans envisage a population of 200 students.

The St.Gallen university association is founded on “university day” in 1931. Even in its early years, it supports HSG with sizeable sums of money, collected through membership contributions and fundraising. Today, HSG Alumni encompasses a network of around 33,000 members.

HSG has been entitled to grant Habilitation since 1934. The university is converted into an independent institution under public law so it can also award doctorates. The corresponding law and recognition by Swiss universities turn HSG into a fully-fledged university.

The second doctorate to be awarded at HSG, no less, goes to a woman: Hanny Thalmann receives a doctorate in Economic Sciences for her doctoral thesis entitled “Industry in Sarganserland”. In 1971, she became the first female National Councillor of the canton of St.Gallen.

prisma has been published by HSG students since November 1959. It explores political, social and university-related topics – with humorous and satirical contributions also being core components of prisma.

The Rosenburg campus is intended to accommodate a growing student population and offer space for development. The outcome, created by architect Walter Förderer, is a brutalist work of art. The move to the new campus also goes hand-in-hand with a new name: Hochschule St.Gallen für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, the University of St.Gallen for Economic and Social Sciences – or HSG, for short.

The introduction of the continuing education level in 1968 sees HSG become the first university in Switzerland to institutionalise post-university executive education. This meets with a hugely positive response, and so the further expansion of its executive education offering becomes one of HSG’s core tasks.

In 1970, the International Students Committee (ISC) organises the first “International Managers’ Discussion”. Since then, the St.Gallen Symposium has developed into one of Switzerland’s most important events in the world of business.

The expansion of law-related courses in the mid-50s marks the start of discussions about launching HSG’s own academic programme in law. That said, it takes until 1978 before the first students at HSG can finally take a course that would enable them to become fully qualified lawyers.

HSG has held the rank of a university since 1938, but used the German-language term “Hochschule” to describe itself for many years. In 1995, it renames itself the “Universität St.Gallen”, or “University of St.Gallen”. This was down to a desire to differentiate itself more from universities of applied sciences and arts (known as “Fachhochschulen” in German) and to ensure the name was consistent across all national languages.

The redesign of its teaching operations sees HSG introduce the Bachelor’s and Master’s system. The Bachelor’s level consists of an assessment year and two further years of study, while the Master’s level lasts one to two years. HSG plays a pioneering role in the implementation of the Bologna reform.

In 2003, the University of St.Gallen is the first in Switzerland to introduce a “Children’s University”. The aim of the event is to give children a better sense of socially relevant topics that expand on their school subjects.

Life-long learning becomes an key part of how HSG sees itself with the opening of the Executive School of Management, Technology and Law (ES-HSG). All executive education programmes are bundled together at ES-HSG, with executive education for managers playing a central role in particular.

The establishment of the School of Medicine marks the start of the Joint Medical Master JMM-HSG/UZH collaboration project. This Master’s course combines the strengths of the Universities of St.Gallen (management) and Zurich (human medicine) to prepare students to work within the modern-day medical profession.

The opening of the School of Computer Science sees the University of St.Gallen make its first foray into engineering. The first Master’s course in Computer Science starts in 2021, followed by the Bachelor’s course one year later. Bachelor’s students complete an adapted assessment year.

SQUARE opens its doors. This workspace and hub for creative thought facilitates innovative forms of learning and interaction between students, academic teaching staff and alumni. The plans were drawn up by the renowned Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.

HSG is celebrating the anniversary of our diverse institution along with all the members of the university and the population of St.Gallen.