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100% Internship Placement - Summer 2008


 Certificate in Sustainability

Beginning in Fall 2008, MBA students may pursue a Certificate in Business, Environment and Social Responsibility

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Operations is most common background for S&P 500 CEOs

  • For the second year in a row, executive search firm Spencer Stuart found that Operations (31%) was the most common functional role prior to becoming CEO.
  • Wisconsin tied with Harvard as having most alumni serving as CEOs.

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Operations and Technology Management
         - developing leaders who create business value

Operations and Technology Management (OTM) is an MBA specialization for those seeking advanced positions as consultants, analysts, product/service managers, project leaders, business developers, or operations, information technology, and supply chain managers – while priming themselves for senior leadership roles. Within OTM you can focus on Operations Management or Information Technology Management. More

Alumni Views

"In addition to equipping me with the skill sets to rise to an executive position in Operations, the OTM MBA provided me with a rich network of colleagues and friends – thanks to the Erdman Center’s student room and the field trips. You have to experience it to believe it!"
Sanjay Rao, MBA 2002, Plant Production Manager, JohnsonDiversey

Complete Alumni List

 

Industry Advisory Board

"The OTM program provides an excellent balance between strategic and operational perspectives. The program emphasizes leadership and provides numerous opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills through projects and exposure to real-life examples, company executives, and students from around the world. The small size of the program and the outstanding Erdman Center facilities provide an intimate atmosphere. Graduates come away with a great education, a close network of colleagues, and hands-on practical leadership and teamwork experience."
Rod Copes, Vice President, Asia-Pacific, Harley-Davidson

Complete Advisory Board List

 

Activities

Part of the mission of the Erdman Center is to expose OTM students to industrial practices and prepare them for new careers. The Center facilitates opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with executives, managers and consultants, those on the forefront of industry practices. The Center also strives to create a strong network among the current and past OTM students. As described below, these goals are achieved through a multitude of activities:

Industrial Advisory Board

Professional Associations

Presentation
Executive-led Sessions

Frank Piller
Professional development workshops

Executive Education:
Courses & Seminars


Seminar
Business
Plan Competition


Burrill Competition
Corporate Visits

Toro
Student Roundtables

Orientation
Networking Socials

Garden Party
Case Competitions

 

Projects

OTM students get exposed to real-life strategy formulation, problem-solving, and process improvement through several courses.  Some prominent ones are listed below:

  • Introduction to Quality and Productivity Improvement (OTM 770)
  • Planning for Quality in New Services and Products (OTM 861)
  • Managerial Accounting (ACCTG 710)
  • Design and Analysis of Manufacturing Systems (ISyE 641)
  • E-Business: Technologies, Strategies, and Applications (ISyE 671/OTM 671)
  • Entrepreneurial Management (MHR 722)
  • Venture Creation (MHR 734)
  • Product Development (MKTG 765)

In these courses you work with other students from other disciplines in teams to solve problems posed by local or regional organizations.  The organizations range from small to large, and are drawn from various industries (like manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, retail, etc.). 

 

Publications

 

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<<< Click on the cover to view our latest Annual Report

Previous Annual Reports

 

Previous Newsletters

News

OIM Faculty Gets Teaching Award
 APICS Associate Professor Greg DeCroix, who teaches the core MBA course in Operations Management, was awarded the Gaumnitz Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award on May 13, 2009. Professor DeCroix received his PhD from Stanford, and has previously taught at University of Washington and Duke.
Erdman Center Trip to WW Grainger, Illinois
APICS In April 2009, Erdman Center students and staff visited various W.W. Grainger facilities, including a B2B Retail Branch in Mundelein, IL, the Chicago Distribution Center in Niles, IL, and the World Head Quarter in Lake Forest, IL. At WHQ, Drivalas Sophia (Director Internet Strategy and Marketing), Ray Feeney (Chief Technology Officer) and D.G. Macpherson (Senior VP of Supply Chain) presented on Grainger’s Enterprise Procurement System and its global supply chain, and discussed product line expansion plans and various E-Commerce initiatives. Many thanks to Troy Vellinga, Vice President of Continuous Improvement (and Erdman Center Board member), for arranging this interesting trip.

 
Erdman Center Trip to Seattle, WA
APICS In March 2009, Erdman Center students and staff flew to Seattle, WA for a networking trip. The companies visited include Boeing, F5, Microsoft, Farecast and Amazon. In addition to the company site visits, the group held evening socials with Wisconsin alumni and company representatives. Wisconsin alumni in the Seattle area rallied to make the trip a success with special thanks to Brian Branagan of F5, Bill Birkholz of Microsoft, Mike Culver of Amazon and the Rain City Badgers. On, Wisconsin!

 
OTM Students Win APICS Case Competition
APICS First-year OTM students Joel Anacker, Ani Das, Brandon McGirr, Ankit Puri, and Sreejith Satheez, joined by ASAP student Chase Nicholson, won the APICS Case Competition on February 21-22, 2009 (APICS = The Association for Operations Management). The competition, held in Oak Brook, IL, and with 28 university teams participating, involved reviewing a case on Supply Chain Management and global strategy, preparing a report and a Power Point slide show, and presenting the recommendations the following day in front of a team of judges. The winning team brought home $800 for the Madison APICS Chapter.

 
Erdman Center arranges a 3-day course on Project Management
Tom Westcott During three days in the week before the Spring 2009 semester began (January 14-16), 21 MBA students from OTM and other specializations took part in an intensive, experiential course on how to manage projects taught by Tom Westcott of the Project Solutions Group.
Erdman Center Alumnus quoted in Industry Week
Dennis McRae Dennis McRae (MTM ’00) was quoted in the November 2008 Industry Week article on “How to Organize for Lean/Six Sigma.” Dennis joined Celerant Consulting in 2000, and is now a Client Partner with this firm. He has consulted with Honeywell, Abbott, Autoliv, Kellogg, and other firms.
OTM Student Writes for BusinessWeek
Sarah Baranowski On December 2, 2007, 1st year Operations & Technology Management student Sarah Baranowski  issued the 1st installment of her BusinessWeek MBA Journal . For future installments, please visit http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/mbajournal/.
OTM Student Field Trips
Miller Site Visit 2007 On August 31st, 2007, OTM Students, Faculty and the leadership of the AISP student organization visited Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee to cap off MBA orientation. The visit included a tour not available to the general public and a discussion with the Director of Forecasting and Director of Supply Chain. Afterwards the group ventured to the see the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team at Miller park.
GE Healthcare On February 23, 2007, the OTM students (and        other business students) visited GE Healthcare in Madison.
Strattec On November 17, 2006, the OTM students visited Harley-Davidson (motorcycles) and Strattec Corporation (automotive locks and door handles) in Milwaukee. Picture shows VP of Operations, Kathy Scherbarth, presenting Strattec's lean journey.
Erdman Center MBAs Explore Business Operations in Puerto Rico
Medtronic Trip

Over spring break, a group of 10 OTM students, one alumnus, and Associate Director Carol Aspinwall from the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management explored best practices in manufacturing and operations at companies in Puerto Rico.

The purpose of the trip was to meet with top executives and discuss operations, logistics, and manufacturing first hand and learn about how challenges of companies located in Puerto Rico may be different from what they might face in the continental U.S.

Companies visited included Hewlett-Packard, Grainger, Medtronic, and Edwards LifeSciences. Students also visited the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez campus. The trip was supported by Grainger, CIBER, APICS, and Ford Motor Company.

HP trip