Message from the Dean
Welcome to our 2004-2005 Report to Investors. Alumni, friends and corporate partners—our key stakeholders—have made considerable contributions to the school during the past year, and we are pleased to share news of an outstanding return on investment.
In the inaugural issue of this report last year, I noted that one of our shared values is dedication toward continuous improvement. The Report to Investors is a testament to such progress. During the 2004-2005 academic year, we served an undergraduate program of approximately 1,250 juniors and seniors, a full-time master’s program with nearly 230 students, Evening and Executive MBA programs with about 180 students and a PhD program nearing 80 students. Additionally, our executive education programs reached more than 8,500 clients. Our programs are always evolving to better serve our various constituencies.
I am pleased to report the quality of our programs has never been higher. As you will read in the following pages, our undergraduate program is ranked by U.S. News & World Report at the 12th position among all U.S. undergraduate programs in business. The London-based Financial Times rates our Executive Education program 15th.
More importantly, however, our internal surveys show high program satisfaction. And, several early markers for success like placement outcomes show a dramatic improvement in our new career-specialization MBA program. These achievements are made possible by dedicated and talented faculty, staff and alumni. Their efforts have created a symbiotic relationship between analytical skills, conceptual frameworks and practical applications. Most importantly, our model is building a collaborative culture that will define our school and its graduates.
As we enter 2006, our top priority continues to be the successful implementation of a retooled MBA program. Additionally, we will work to expand our resource base, an increasingly important effort given shrinking state support. We hope to accomplish this through a renewed focus on our revenue-producing programs like Executive Education. Augmenting our revenue base is essential to maintaining the core strength of our school: faculty excellence. Without faculty excellence, none of our other objectives is attainable.
We are fortunate to have a strong school buttressed by the financial and creative investments of our alumni, friends and corporate partners. We are grateful for your involvement— it is a critical part of our success. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.
I hope you enjoy this Report to Investors and that you share our excitement for the future of the school.
Dean Michael Knetter
608/262-1758
dean@bus.wisc.edu