Table of Contents
Dean Michael Knetter

Michael Knetter

 

Mission, Vision and Values

Mission

The mission of the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is to create, integrate, transfer and apply knowledge relevant to business. We carry out this mission through fi ve core activities: research, undergraduate education, graduate education, executive education and service.

Vision

The vision of the School of Business is to be internationally renowned for knowledge creation and for expertise concentrated around selected career specializations in which we provide transforming educational experiences by integrating theory, application and practitioner networks.

Values

In carrying out our mission, the School of Business holds the following shared values of dedication and commitment toward:

Message from the Dean

A Remarkable School

Welcome to our first-ever University of Wisconsin- Madison School of Business Annual Report. We are excited about this new initiative, which gives us the opportunity to share signifi cant information about our strategy, objectives and progress with our key stakeholders and industry observers. We hope that external audiences will find the Annual Report a valuable resource in understanding the breadth and quality of programs and activities at the School of Business. We also anticipate that faculty and staff will use the Report to reflect on and appreciate the many accomplishments that occur on a regular basis at the school.

One of the shared values is dedication toward continuous improvement. We hope and anticipate that our Annual Report will become a testament to such progress. With this inaugural edition, the pattern begins here, at the start of the report year, 2003.

As a relative newcomer to the UW-Madison team, I am in a unique position to offer perspective on our starting point. Simply put, we have a remarkable school. In 2003, we served an undergraduate program of approximately 1,300 juniors and seniors, a full-time master’s programs with upwards of 450 students, Evening and Executive MBA programs of about 180 students, a PhD program nearing 80 students and Executive Education programs that touched about 14,000 clients. The breadth and extent of programs is remarkable for any institution, and especially so given a budget of just a bit over $33 million. Other institutions, including some with which I have close familiarity, employ a similar budget for just one of these programs.

In addition to our remarkable productivity, we are proud of the quality of our programs. As reported in these pages, our undergraduate program is ranked by U.S. News & World Report at the 11th position among all U.S. undergraduate programs in business. The London-based Financial Times rates our Executive Education program 17th. There is little doubt in my mind that much of our success derives from an excellent staff of dedicated and capable people who provide the necessary infrastructure of student or client support to make the educational programs succeed.

Our faculty, in addition to teaching these numerous and varied programs, also fi nd energy and time to undertake signifi cant and respected research. This year again we have received numerous accolades for the importance and rigor of our research.

The high productivity of our faculty and staff is evidence of the strong commitment to the school. This commitment from faculty and staff makes me confi dent that we will continue to progress from our already strong position.

As we enter 2004, our top priorities are successful implementation of a retooled MBA program, increased alumni and practitioner engagement and continued investment in the human resources that make up the foundation of our success. In addition to those top priorities, we will implement new initiatives in every program area of the school. It is an exciting time to be involved with the School of Business.

Your involvement is an important part of our success. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Contact information for lead staff in each area is listed throughout this publication.

I hope you enjoy this inaugural Annual Report and that you share our optimism for the future of the school.

M Knetter - Signature

Dean Michael Knetter
608/262-1758
dean@bus.wisc.edu