Development Priorities
Philanthropy facilitates the pursuit and accomplishment of the School of Business’ most important strategic
priorities.
December 2006 marks the formal conclusion of the most ambitious capital campaign in the history of the School of Business, launched as part of the university’s Create the Future: The Wisconsin Campaign. As this Report to Investors goes to press, more than $107 million has been raised, with the expectation of nearly $120 million in the final analysis. Special thanks are due to the campaign’s co-chairs, Curt Culver, BBA ‘74, MS ‘75, president, CEO and chairman of MGIC Investment Corporation in Milwaukee; and John Oros, BBA ‘71, president and COO of The Enstar Group in New York, for their outstanding efforts. Our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the capital campaign.
The campaign helped us to engage our constituents and to raise the private funding required to help the School of Business achieve its strategic goals and initiatives. At every level, business schools are in an intense competition for top faculty, students and resources. We are responding to these challenges by becoming more entrepreneurial and allocating resources for greatest impact.
Fundraising priorities, listed at right, remain the focus of our philanthropic efforts in the coming year. The School of Business will continue to rely on the generous gifts and support of our alumni, corporate partners, faculty, staff and students. As we move forward, we place an increased emphasis on the importance of expendable gifts – gifts that provide the flexibility needed to enhance our existing strengths and take our program to a new level.
RECENT DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Retaining Faculty
In the face of flat or declining state financial support, retaining and recruiting outstanding faculty has become an increased challenge and a high priority. Michael Shannon, BBA ‘80, and Mary Sue Shannon made an expendable gift that allows the Dean to direct funds where they are needed most. Wisconsin is seen by other business schools as a great place to recruit promising faculty; this fund gives the Dean the ability to recruit and retain top thought leaders.
Honoring a Long-time Accounting Staff Member
An endowed scholarship fund was established in September 2006 to honor Susan Sprague, a mainstay of the Accounting Department, who retired after 23 years. Michael Horn, BBA ‘66, MBA ‘68, was the driving force behind the effort to raise funds from accounting alumni to endow the scholarship in Sprague’s name.
Launching a New Leadership Center
Thanks to the efforts of James Wierzba, BA ‘75, MBA ‘79, and his colleagues at Accenture (both active and retired), undergraduate students in Business and Engineering at UW-Madison have a new resource to learn about leadership in the corporate world. The Accenture Leadership Center provides opportunities for undergraduate students to develop leadership skills outside the classroom.
While all gifts are welcome, expendable gifts allow the School of Business to fund immediate needs to implement the school’s strategy. For example, a $50,000 annual gift is equivalent to the income from a $1 million endowment. Our development priorities fall into the following categories:
FACULTY
The increasingly competitive market for top faculty talent makes recruiting
and retention of our nationally recognized faculty critical to the success of
our strategy. Funds are needed for:
Faculty Chairs
Endowed chairs, the highest honor bestowed by the university, help keep the school competitive in the market for the best faculty.
Professorships
This support frees selected faculty to concentrate on creating new courses and improving existing ones, while maintaining research productivity. It also helps maximize scholarly contributions of those at the most productive stages of their careers.
Junior Faculty Research Awards
Talented business graduates choose to enter academia so they can conduct independent research and share knowledge with students. To recruit and retain these exceptional scholars and teachers, it is imperative we provide a minimum level of support for development and maintenance of their research infrastructure.
PROGRAM SUPPORT
Wisconsin MBA Centers
Both emerging and existing Wisconsin MBA Centers are in need of additional support. Gifts made to these centers support students, faculty, staff and physical infrastructure for specific career specializations that comprise the core of the Wisconsin MBA program.
Student Organization Endowment
Student organizations provide an opportunity for students to gain leadership skills. This endowment will help underwrite events and field trips by undergraduate student organizations and provide staff to help ensure these experiences provide rewarding and useful training.
Visiting Alumni Program
One of our greatest assets is our alumni base, which we intend to use more effectively by bringing alumni and friends to campus for interaction with students in classes, student organizations and in other settings to provide a variety of real-world expertise.
STUDENTS
The competition to recruit outstanding students at all levels has increased. Support is needed for:
PhD Support
Strong PhD students add value to faculty research and provide teaching support for the undergraduate and master’s programs. Fellowships offer financial assistance and recognition.
Master’s Student Support
In addition to targeted support offered through the Wisconsin MBA centers,
the school offers more general master’s support in the form of project, teaching or research assistantships.
Undergraduate Student Support
During an era of rising tuition, undergraduate scholarships help preserve
access to superior education for all qualified students.
FACILITIES
Building Project
Construction of a separate space for the MBA program that will house the centers and larger lecture halls, as well as provide a professional environment for MBA students, has begun. This additional space will create opportunities to reconfigure and renovate Grainger Hall to better serve the needs of the undergraduate and PhD programs. The funding of this project is not complete and
it remains a priority.
Grainger Hall Preservation
Private money made Grainger Hall a superior facility; additional private support will maintain it at the high caliber expected by students and alumni.