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In 1922, the year the Department of Business officially became the School of Business Administration, Hermes was introduced to business students at the then-annual banquet. He was quickly adopted as the patron of the Business School, as a “symbol of success and efficiency in business enterprise.”
Why Hermes? Hermes, or Mercury as the Romans later knew him, was the Greek god of commerce, language and measurement, and the protector of merchants and travelers. He is associated with alchemy, including the ability to turn lead into gold. Light-footed and lighthearted, Hermes was also ingenious, a clever inventor and a shrewd negotiator.
As the swift messenger of the gods, Hermes is famed for crossing boundaries and enabling communication and cross-cultural understanding. It’s no surprise then that Hermes is the perfect emblem of the skills of a McCombs School student. Skilled, agile and entrepreneurial, Hermes is the spirit of business and the sign of the times.
Recently, the traditions of Hermes at McCombs were rediscovered
and reinterpreted. Beginning in 2003, incoming students receive
t-shirts bearing the Hermes logo. And instead of a banquet (who
goes to “banquets” anyway?), Hermes will host an annual “Spring Fling”
in the Atrium for students, faculty and staff. Hermes himself
resides near the dean’s office, ever ready to represent to the
campus and the world the excellence of the McCombs School and
its students.
