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February 1, 2007

Real Estate Center to be Renamed James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate

Nearly 600 alumni and friends have raised almost $11 million in donations for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Real Estate. The Center will be renamed after the late professor James A. Graaskamp, a legendary figure in real estate education. A special two-day ceremony to rename the center will be held April 25 and 26.

The program is more than halfway toward its goal of raising $20 million over five years to maintain Wisconsin as the premier real estate program in the nation. Donations will help the center strengthen current offerings, such as required overseas study tours to France, China and other countries, feasibility and development project analyses, and a $1 million portfolio of REIT stocks that students manage as part of the Applied Security Analysis Program.

James Graaskamp, who taught real estate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1964 to 1988 and was program chairman from 1968 until his death in 1988, was instrumental in creating the modern real estate curriculum and elevating the discipline to a position of national prominence. He promoted new thinking about feasibility analysis, development investment and risk management, eschewing traditional economic models in favor of instruction through practical field studies.

The campaign, unveiled in December 2005, was part of a five-year effort to raise $20 million for the Wisconsin Real Estate program. The initiative spurred a challenge from Bryant Wangard, BBA ‘77, MS ’79; and Mike Arneson, MS ’81, as well as other principals of TOLD Development, who gave $1.7 million to rename the center. They encouraged other alumni to follow suit. An anonymous donor contributed $1 million. Alumnus Chuck Heath, BBA ‘81, MS ’83, and his wife, Kathleen, also gave $1 million.

“I would not be where I am today without the influence of Jim Graaskamp in my life,” said Chuck Heath. “Now is the time to formally connect his name with the UW Real Estate program forever.”

The Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association provided the foundation for the fundraising effort and was led by Jim Curtis, Jim Haft, Craig Manske, and Jim Smith, all graduates of the real estate program under James Graaskamp. They were supported by many other dedicated alumni and friends throughout the country. School of Business Dean Michael Knetter, applauded real estate alumni for their support: “I have been impressed with the way that real estate alumni have stepped up to take this outstanding program to even higher levels.”

The Wisconsin Real Estate program consistently ranks as one of the top three real estate programs nationwide and is widely recognized for its rigorous curriculum, top students, outstanding faculty and extensive alumni network. In 2004, as part of a school-wide strategy to develop specialized MBA programs, the center absorbed administration of the Real Estate MBA. The additional resources now available to the new James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate will allow it to compete even more effectively with dozens of new real estate programs that have recently emerged around the country.

Through his teachings, Graaskamp instilled a concern for ethics and a comprehensive approach to improving the quality of the built environment. Today’s UW-Madison Real Estate program honors and builds on that ethic, offering a multi-disciplinary approach to real estate with a focus on development, international topics, feasibility analysis, finance and investment, valuation, law and urban land economics.

The donations will allow the center to move forward with its goals, said Tim Riddiough, center director. “We are extremely grateful to our alumni, Center for Real Estate Board of Advisors, and friends for helping us achieve this important outcome. Our role is to act as the caretaker of Jim Graaskamp’s legacy, with the additional responsibility of fostering innovation in real estate research and education. Tradition and innovation are really what real estate at Wisconsin is all about.”

Wisconsin Accounting Students Win National Tax Competition Yet Again

For the third time in five years, a team of accounting students from the UW-Madison School of Business has won a national case competition. Wisconsin students won the PricewaterhouseCoopers xTAX competition, held in Washington, D.C., the last weekend in January. In the national competition, teams of accounting students offer the best solution to a real-world tax policy problem

Wisconsin also won the competition in 2002 and 2004.

“Competing in the xTAX competition is a great experience for our accounting students” says Professor Jon Davis, who chairs the Department of Accounting and Information Systems and who coached the team along with Al Talarczyk, a lecturer in accounting. “Since the competition requires students to present solutions to difficult tax policy questions, it provides our accounting students with an excellent platform for refining their communication and critical thinking skills.”

In the first round of competition held last fall, more than 165 teams consisting of 800 students across the country submitted their solution to a current tax policy issue. A video of each team’s presentation was forwarded to the PricewaterhouseCoopers national office in New York, where the top five presentations were selected.

The Wisconsin team matched skills against the other finalists (Brigham Young University, Syracuse, Notre Dame and California-Berkeley) at the PricewaterhouseCoopers Washington National Tax office in Washington, D.C. Judges included the firm’s executives and other nationally prominent executives in tax and business.

For winning, each student member of the Wisconsin team took home more than $3,000 and a small silver Tiffany bowl. The bowls are replicas of the Alexander Hamilton Trophy, which sits in the reception area of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Washington National Tax practice, which will be engraved with UW-Madison’s name again this year.

The Wisconsin team members were:

  • Ashley Muehlbauer (senior)
  • Amy Hartstern (5th year accounting student)
  • Dilan Van Ryn (sophomore)
  • Luke Farrell (junior)
  • Taylor Barrett (sophomore)

Wisconsin accounting students also have a stellar record in another major tax competition. The past two years, a team of Wisconsin accounting students has made it to the national finals (final five) of the Deloitte Tax Case Competition.

Wisconsin Real Estate Center Surveys Foreign Investors

The United States remains the preferred country for foreign investors' real estate dollars, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison survey of global real estate investors conducted on behalf of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).

The survey also found that for the first time since 2001, New York City has emerged as foreign investors' top U.S. city for their investment dollars.

The survey of AFIRE members was conducted by the Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. This is the 15th year AFIRE members have been surveyed, but the first time the survey was conducted by the Wisconsin center.

"The findings reflect investors' desire to invest in U.S. real estate, despite macro uncertainties and competition from U.S. institutional investors," said UW-Madison Real Estate Professor François Ortalo-Magné, who directed the survey. "Consequently, foreign investors are showing a greater willingness to consider diversification strategies into secondary markets outside of the core property types, and with creative financing and ownership structures."

The survey found that global real estate investors say their U.S. real estate investment strategies for 2007 and beyond will include properties traditionally considered to have higher risk. Thirty percent of respondents said they would explore new property types as part of their U.S. investment strategy, including infrastructure, resorts, senior housing, storage, student housing, research and science projects, and the acquisition of real estate companies.

Those surveyed said new measures to place new capital in the U.S. market over the next five years will draw on off-market transactions, the development of joint ventures and the execution of a broader focus and geographic diversification.

Mark Preston, AFIRE's newly elected chairman, said: "The U.S. still remains the strongest and safest conduit for cross-border real estate dollars, by a substantial margin of 63 percent. But it is clear that our members are taking advantage of some of the opportunities inherent in emerging markets."

Respondents to the survey said that "value-added" real estate is expected to comprise 25 percent of their portfolio in 2007, up six percentage points from 2006. The survey reflects the buying preferences of members of the association, who collectively own $601 billion of real estate globally, including $184 billion in the United States.

While the United States remains the preferred global country for foreign investors' real estate dollars, only 23 percent of respondents say it has the best potential for capital appreciation, down from 44.4 percent in 2005 and 53.8 percent in 2004. India emerged as the country having the second highest potential for real estate capital appreciation. The United States has always held the top spot, but this is the narrowest margin (5 percent) between first and second place in the survey's history. With 15 percent of survey respondents' votes, real estate in China continues to rank third.

The Center for Real Estate at the UW-Madison School of Business has been a leading player in real estate education, research and outreach for more than 30 years.

Accenture Leadership Center Kicks Off Spring Semester

The Accenture Leadership Center (ALC), which was launched in fall 2006 to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to develop leadership skills outside the classroom, co-sponsored a six-day session of LeaderShape in January with the UW-Madison College of Engineering. Twenty-four business students participated in the six-day leadership immersion program focused on the interpersonal, intrapersonal and service components of leadership. (LeaderShape is a national program devoted to teaching college students to lead with integrity, now in its tenth year on the UW-Madison campus.)

Over the spring semester, students who participated in the immersion program will have the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills into practice. They will meet regularly with their Accenture mentors and work on one of four group projects to benefit the School of Business, UW-Madison or the Madison community. Students are currently working on projects for Executive Education, the UW-Madison Undergraduate Symposium and Grassroots Leadership College. A project group is also working on the promotion and marketing of the August 2007 LeaderShape session, to be hosted by the Accenture Leadership Center and the School of Business. (Students who return from an August session of LeaderShape also will have the opportunity to participate in group projects.)
The ALC will provide various leadership workshops and events throughout the spring semester. Guest speakers will include Mike Eaves, UW-Madison Men’s Hockey coach, who will talk on “Leading a High-Performance Team”; Chris Hinrichs, who specializes in human relations, leadership and team development, who will discuss “Experiential Approach to Teamwork”; and Barb Reindl Pjevach, vice president, change implementation at Guidant: Cardiac Rhythm Management; who will discuss “What Is Leadership? What Kind of Leader Do I Want to Be?” For up-to-date information on ALC events, visit http://www.bus.wisc.edu/alc/

IN THE NEWS

Recent media coverage of the people and programs of the School of Business.

December News

National

Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics Morris Davis was quoted in the Wall Street Journal in an article about the current roller-coaster ride in land prices. The article was reprinted in newspapers around the country, including the Charlotte Observer

Regional

The Milwaukee Business Journal featured an article on the recruitment program for the full-time Wisconsin MBA and Enterprise MBA programs at the School of Business.

The Milwaukee Business Journal featured alumni who are trying to encourage more startup businesses in Madison.

Local

The Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship Program was mention in an Executive Q&A in the Wisconsin State Journal that featured Lecturer Joe Boucher, a member of the WAVE advisory board.

Ann Kinkade, director of the Family Business Center was quoted in the December issue of In Business Magazine on issues involved in transferring a family-owned business.

In Business Magazine highlighted the Executive MBA program’s Financial Times ranking as one of the top 50 Executive MBA programs in the world. The magazine also took note of the full-time Wisconsin MBA program’s fourth place national ranking in BusinessWeek for the fastest return on tuition.

The December issue of In Business magazine’s Book of Lists named John Surdyk, director of the Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurs (INSITE), as one of the Forty Under Forty of emerging leaders.

The Wisconsin State Journal took note of accounting undergraduate Matt Busta, who tied for third in the Deloitte Case Study Tax Competition in Orlando, Fla.

School of Business student Megan Ramey was quoted on wisbusiness.com on her desire to be the first retail store to have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Several School of Business faculty and staff have been featured  recently on “On Air with In Business” a business radio program broadcast on Madison 1670 weeknights at 6 p.m.  Joan Gillman, director of special industry programs for the School of Business, is the program’s co-host, along with Jody Glen Patrick of In Business magazine. Recent or upcoming School of Business guests include: Jim Seward, Jack Nevin, Linda Gorchels, Neil Lerner, Tom Eggert, Michael Enyart, Scott Converse, and Dan Olszewski. Many of the program’s interviews are available as podcasts on the Madison 1670 website.

January News

National/International

The results of a survey of foreign investors conducted by François Ortalo-Magné and the Center for Real Estate on behalf of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE) attracted scores of articles in international media, including coverage in the U.S., European and Asian editions of the Wall Street Journal.

MBA student Marjani Coffey wrote a guest article on businessweek.com titled “Establishing Networks and Easing in.” The article detailed her experience with the Diversity Weekend program offered by the Wisconsin MBA and the value of initiatives like the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management.

Larry E. Rittenberg, professor of accounting and information systems, was cited in Business Finance magazine’s “Influencers 2007: Transparency changes everything.” Rittenberg was named one of “60 leaders who will shape finance and accounting.” Rittenberg who chairs the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) was cited in the January 2007 issue of the magazine for his role in helping draft the National Association of Corporate Director's "Report of the NACD's Blue Ribbon Commission on Audit Committees: A Practical Guide (1999)."

Andrew Taylor, director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administation was interviewed on WNYC New York Public Radio’s “Soundcheck” show. The progam was broadcast live on XM satellite radio, as well as throughout New York.

Regional

Morris Davis, a professor of Real Estate, was quoted in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an article on the cost of building.

Deborah Mitchell, executive director of Enterprise MBA programs, wrote a guest article in the January issue of the Capital Region Business Journal on the impact of minimum markup laws.

BusinessWatch magazine featured the benefits and services the program provides for local businesses by the Small Business Development Center.

Local

The Wisconsin State Journal, Daily Cardinal and Badger Herald featured articles on the School of Business’ proposed tuition differential for business undergraduates.

Daily Cardinal Articles

Badger Herald Articles

Wisconsin State Journal Articles

Scott Converse, Executive Education’s program director for technology and innovation programs, was featured on the Wisconsin Technology Network in a two-part question and answer session. He was also quoted in the Capital Times.

The Wisconsin State Journal noted adjunct professor Tom Eggert’s role as a panelist in a discussion with Madison business leaders on social entrepreneurship. Wisbusiness.com mentioned the panel in “Third-world micro financing is focus of Fluno Center gathering.” Eggert was also featured in the Wisconsin State Journal on his decision to build an addition that would be green and a sustainable development.

The A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research was mentioned in the January issue of BusinessWatch magazine for its role in the 2006 First Business Economic Survey of Dane County.

The January issue of BusinessWatch Magazine quoted Professor Randall Dunham, chair of the Department of Management and Human Resources, on a new entrepreneurship option for undergraduates. The magazine also mentioned the undergraduate and graduate accounting programs’ recent rankings in the Public Accounting Report among the top 10 in the nation.

The Distinguished Business Alumnus Awards given to Phill Gross and Paul Leff by the School of Business in November were covered in the January issue of the Capital Region Business Journal.

Dean Mike Knetter discussed his predictions for the 2007 economy
in the Small Business Times and had his participaton in the Northern Trust Economic Trends Breakfast covered by The Biztimes Daily.

Mason Carpenter, management and human resources, was quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal on Spectrum Brand’s staff cuts.

Executive MBA student Trent Jackson was mentioned on wiscnews.com for his new position as vice president of development at Wayland Academy.

The Wisconsin State Journal quoted director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration Andrew Taylor on financial challenges common among new arts facilities.

Blair Sanford, director of MBA career services, discussed the job offers students of the business school are receiving and the increase in the number of job postings in the Capital Times.

Wisconsin Accounting Student Again Named to FASB Internship

Josie Cizek, a graduate student in the Five-Year Professional Program in Accounting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, has been awarded a post-graduate technical assistant internship at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). FASB is the national standard setter for accounting and Cizek gained one of five prestigious positions open nationally for post-graduate internships. She will work on topics such as principles-based accounting and accounting for complex financial instruments.

Cizek is the seventh student in a row that the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at the UW-Madison School of Business has placed at FASB. Previous interns were Troy Van Bleek (2005-2006), Brian Goetsch, (2005-2006), Holly Kispert (2004-2005), Lauren Belot (2003-2004), Michael Maffei (2002-2003), and Jenni Boelter (2001-2002).

“Year after year, FASB turns to Wisconsin to fill highly competitive intern positions,” said Accounting Professor Larry Rittenberg. “The combination of technical skills, conceptual understanding, work ethic and communication skills emphasized in our program helps creates these opportunities for our students."

Both the undergraduate and graduate accounting programs of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business were ranked in the top 10 in the nation in October 2006 by Public Accounting Report, an independent newsletter covering the accounting profession.

Wisconsin MBA Offers Global Business Program to Chile, Dubai

All full-time Wisconsin MBA students have the opportunity to obtain international business experience through student-planned and led trips through the Wisconsin MBA Global Business Program. This year, the Global Business Program offered study tours to Chile and to Dubai, UAE during the first and second weeks of January.

Through personal meetings with senior business executives, governmental leaders, nonprofit directors and respected educators, Wisconsin MBA students prepared themselves for global business by enhancing their knowledge and professional skills. In addition, by supplementing the business meetings with cultural and social activities, students acquired a holistic understanding of a foreign country or region while gaining an appreciation for differences in foreign customs. The Global Business Program allows students to develop friendships with other first- and second-year students from a variety of career specializations.

The students on the Chile program began their study trip to Santiago with a visit to the Central Bank of Chile, where the students were briefed by a Chilean economist who had studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the U.S. embassy, they heard presentations on the political and economic environments of Chile. Participants visited premier investment banking and asset-management firms before concluding the week with meetings at Microsoft’s Chile branch. The students then spent a weekend exploring cultural offerings at Chile’s most fashionable beach town of Vina Del Mar. Activities including a tour of Nobel Prize-winner Pablo Neruda’s home, exploration of the labyrinth of streets and cobblestone alleyways in Valparaiso, and sampling of wines at numerous Chilean vineyards. The program then returned to Santiago, where the students participated in meetings with Procter & Gamble - Chile, the former head of the Chilean Environmental Protection Agency at his law firm, a leading consulting firm, the American Chamber of Commerce, the most influential business lobbying association an impressive entrepreneurship organization and high successful food processing company.

The students on the Dubai program experienced a diverse itinerary that exposed them to cultural, religious, economic, and social issues facing the most rapidly expanding emirate in the Middle East. Dubai, a melting pot of U.A.E. nationals and expats, presented an interesting juxtaposition: capitalism drives seemingly endless growth and tourism in a historically conservative Muslim region. The 10-day trip began with a tour of the Jumeirah Mosque. The students visited the Dubai Financial Market in the World Trade Center. A trip to the American Consulate offered students the opportunity to discuss the U.A.E. political environment and economic conditions with U.S. Consul General Paul Sutphin. Nakheel, the premier real estate group in Dubai, provided a presentation to the students that conveyed a vision for the future of development within Dubai. Students were whisked into the desert to visit a Bedouin camp, and participated in meetings at the American University in Dubai, the Emaar real estate group and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority in Dubai Ports World.

Wisconsin MBA Ranks 57th among U.S. Schools in Financial Times Ranking

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is ranked 57th among all business schools in the United States in the newly released Financial Times rankings for full-time MBA programs. The school was ranked 51st in 2006.

The ranking evaluated the class of students entering in 2001 and graduating in 2003. The UW-Madison MBA program was redesigned for the class of students entering in 2004 and is not measured by this current ranking.

“We value the significance of the Financial Times ranking as a relative measurement of how we compare to other business schools nationwide at a point in time. We remain committed to consistently improving on our fundamentals and sustaining excellence in everything we do in order to deliver outstanding educational experiences,” said Dean Michael M. Knetter. “We feel confident that the upward trends in placement and student satisfaction we are seeing will be reflected in future rankings based on our redesigned MBA program.”

Key indicators show upward trends in the MBA program:

  • Student quality as measured by average GMAT score is 661 for students who enrolled in 2006, up from an average of 623 for students surveyed who enrolled in 2001.
  • Student satisfaction with academic program quality is at 94 percent for first-year students in the program in 2006-07, compared with 81 percent for first-year students in 2005-2006.
  • Career placement is at 95 percent for the class of 2006, up from 70 percent for 2003 graduates. The average salary for 2006 graduates was $82,917, compared to $68,852 for 2003 graduates. UW-Madison MBA graduates achieved a higher percentage increase in salaries (11.5%) over national averages (9.5%-9.7%) in 2006.

The Financial Times’ ranking methodology includes data provided by the school and a survey of MBA/MS alumni from the class of 2003. The ranking is based on three major categories:

  • Alumni career development and salary purchasing power
  • Diversity
  • Research capabilities

To view the entire Financial Times report, visit: http://www.ft.com/businesseducation/globalmba2007

Family Business Center Featured in TV Spot

The UW Family Business Center (FBC) was highlighted during half time of the Men’s Basketball game between the Badgers/Georgia Bulldogs that was televised on ESPN Plus on Sunday, Dec. 31. During the three-minute segment, FBC Director Ann Kinkade, and two FBC members were featured. Mark Cullen of JP Cullen & Sons, a 105-year-old company, talked about why he and his brothers joined the FBC and how it is a catalyst in helping them succeed as a fifth-generation family business. Julie Coquard, the second generation of Wollersheim Winery, talked about how the FBC helps her family’s business grow to the next level of professionalism. The segment will be televised again in the coming weeks at other UW athletic half-time shows. UW-Madison’s University Communications office assisted in covering the cost to author and encode the presentation.

FACULTY-STAFF NEWS

Accounting Professor Larry Rittenberg received the Outstanding Educator Award for 2007 from the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association in January at the group’s annual meeting in Charleston.

Real Estate Professor Stephen Malpezzi presented "The Supply of Real Estate," his presidential address to the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, at the Allied Social Science Meetings held in Chicago in January.

Joann Peck, assistant professor of marketing, will receive support for 2006-07 from the Vilas Life Cycle Professorship program, which provides funds to faculty and principal investigators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who are at critical junctures in their professional careers and whose research productivity has been directly affected by personal life events.

Assistant Dean of Administration Melissa Amos-Landgraf recently passed a major exam and was certified as a senior professional in human resources by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), the credentialing body for human resource professionals that is affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Joan Gillman, director of Special Industry Programs in the Executive Education unit of School of Business, spoke to the International Association of Business Communicators in November and will speak to the Madison chapter of the Association for Women in Communications on Feb. 14. Gillman’s talk will explore how to spot trends.

Linda Uitvlugt, formerly associate director of the Evening MBA program, has been named to the new position of director of the Wisconsin Enterprise MBA Programs. (The Evening MBA and the Executive MBA, which both aim to serve the needs of working professionals, comprise the Wisconsin Enterprise MBA Programs.) Uitvlugt will work with Deborah Mitchell, who was named executive director of Wisconsin Enterprise MBA Programs in August. Uitvlugt’s areas of responsibilities, in addition to operational oversight, recruiting and admissions, will include building connections among the Executive MBA and Evening MBA alumni networks.

Suzanne Dove has accepted the position of outreach specialist with the School of Business, serving as outreach manager for the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and UW-Madison’s Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE). Dove is returning to Wisconsin from the Washington, D.C. area, where she has worked for several years. Since 2001, she served as a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the International Affairs and Trade Team. Prior to her time at the GAO, she spent three years at the World Bank, working on poverty reduction and economic management issues for Latin America and the Caribbean. A fluent Spanish speaker, Dove received a Ph.D. in Political and Administrative Science in 2002 from Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. While in Spain, she also conducted research on free trade issues in Europe and Latin America for the Escuela Superior de Administracion y Direccion de Empresas (ESADE). She holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from New York University and completed her undergraduate degree in European Cultural Studies at Brandeis University. Dove began her work in January as outreach manager for CIBER. She is working with a variety of campus departments and the business community to design workshops, seminars and conferences that address a range of global business topics.

Jim Woodrum has joined Executive Education as program director of Mid-Management Development programs. For the past 22 years, he worked in multiple positions at Hewitt Associates LLC, an international HR outsourcing and consulting firm, including stints in corporate development and Hewitt’s consulting segment. As an executive compensation consultant with Hewitt, Woodrum was a board consultant to Fortune 500 companies and a frequent speaker on compensation and governance issues. He has an M.M. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in finance from Millikin University. Associate Dean for Executive Education Roger Maclean said the skills and experience Woodrum brings will provide Executive Education the opportunity to expand programs in the areas of human resources and corporate strategy.

Judith Louer is leaving the Business Library to accept a position in Central Technical Services at Memorial Library. She had been the circulation manager for the Business Library for more than seven years.

Gerry George, assistant professor in the Department of Management and Human Resources, has resigned his position with the School of Business.

Carol Aspinwall is going to Gulfport, Miss. for a week to do volunteer relief work for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Vinni Pedersen has accepted the position of university services program
associate B with Executive Education. She previously worked as assistant to the director of the Officer Education Program at UW-Madison.

Melissa Anunson has accepted the position of marketing specialist with
Executive Education. She comes to the School of Business from PC/Nametag of Verona, Wis., where she was marketing manager. She has a BBA in marketing from the UW-Madison School of Business. Tiffany Olson has joined Executive Education as an associate marketing specialist. She previously was central division sales and marketing manager for Charter Communications, Inc., in Madison. She has a B.S. in business administration from UW-Platteville. Anunson and Olson will work closely with marketing staff and program area staff on creating and executing integrated marketing campaigns to increase visibility and enrollments in Executive Education programs.

Opportunity for Undergraduates to Explore Research

School of Business faculty are encouraged to inform undergraduate business students with an interest in academic research about a campus opportunity. UW-Madison’s. Undergraduate Symposium, now in its ninth year, celebrates the achievements, creativity and service learning of undergraduate students from many schools and colleges across campus.

The symposium, to be held April 12, includes presentations, poster displays and performances in a variety of fields. Last year, 214 students participated. All undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program during the 2006-2007 academic year may apply. Students who have participated in team projects and students who graduated in December 2006 may participate. The deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, Feb. 26. Details about the event and a registration form are available at http://www.learning.wisc.edu/ugsymposium/.

February is International Opportunities Month at UW-Madison

February 2007 is the seventh annual International Opportunities Month (IOM) on the UW-Madison campus, organized by a campus-wide committee of globally focused organizations and chaired by the Center for International Business, Education and Research (CIBER.) Throughout the month, students of all majors can attend IOM events to learn about global issues and to hear about ways to travel, work, study and volunteer abroad.

UW-Madison students have demonstrated a significant amount of interest in going abroad—in 2003-2004, more than 58 percent of UW-Madison students studied overseas for at least one term, compared to the national average of 38 percent. IOM helps meet this growing demand for international opportunities by creating a month-long series of events to inspire students to continue their global studies and travels. For a full event listing, please visit the IOM Web Site: www.bus.wisc.edu/ciber/iom.

Enterprise MBA Programs Launch in Madison

The Wisconsin Enterprise MBA programs hosted a reception on Jan. 31 to launch the new brand for the Evening and Executive MBA programs at the school. The reception was held at the Fluno Center for Executive Education and hosted prospects, current students and alumni of the two programs. Dean Michael Knetter introduced the Enterprise MBA programs, which are aimed at meeting the needs of working professionals. Executive Director Deborah Mitchell gave an overview of program goals and initiatives.

In Memoriam: William H. Dodge

Former UW-Madison School of Business Professor William H. Dodge died Dec. 25, 2006. He earned a Ph.D. in transportation economics from the UW-Madison in 1957. He held a joint appointment as assistant professor of business administration and research economist at the Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley from 1957-1959. He returned to Madison to teach transportation and public utilities. He retired in 1990 after 26 years as full professor. He is survived by his daughters, Nancy Dodge (David Watts) of Madison, and Susan Imhoff of St. Louis; his grandchildren, Laurel and Daniel Imhoff, and Kevin, Corey and Elizabeth Watts; and many nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to HospiceCare, Inc.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Walk-In Photo Session for School of
Business Set for Feb. 5

School of Business faculty and staff wishing to have professional headshots taken, should attend a walk-in photo session from noon until 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5 in the Capitol Conference Room, 5120 Grainger Hall. No reservations are needed.

Who should have their photo taken? Any faculty who do not have a photo on the faculty directory on the School of Business website, any faculty or staff whose most current photo is in black or white or more than five years old. Anyone who feels their current photo does not represent them well.

Those who have their photo taken will be able to select the photo they prefer and will be emailed a high-resolution jpg of the photo they choose. For more information about the photo session, contact Lari Fanlund in the Office of Marketing and Communication, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu, 262-2401.

Reminder in Ordering Business Cards

Business Cards for School of Business employees are produced by University Communications. It’s important, in ordering the cards, to fill in the req. number and to use the correct req. number (which changes every July 1). In recent weeks, some staff have ordered cards with incorrect or missing numbers with the result their orders were put on hold until they made an inquiry and provided the correct req. number, resulting in significant delays in obtaining cards. The correct req. numbers are available from departmental assistants, Lari Fanlund in the Office of Marketing and Communications or staff in the Office of Financial Management.

For guidelines on ordering business cards, go to the Administrative Resources section of the School of Business website.

New Website and Blog for Wisconsin Business Alumni

The Wisconsin Business Alumni website has been redesigned to provide more information and services for alumni, including a blog. The new web log provides an online space where alumni can read and post comments regarding School of Business news and events, encouraging increased interaction between the school and alumni.

The new site also provides opportunities for faculty and staff to submit news or feature articles that can be posted for alumni to read and respond to online. If you would like to submit material for the blog, please contact Kaylene Reilly at kreilly@bus.wisc.edu or 262-3828.

About the Gazette

Submissions for the March 1 issue should be sent by Feb. 26 to Lari Fanlund, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu.

 

February 1, 2007

Submissions

Submissions for the March 1 issue should be sent by Feb. 26 to Lari Fanlund, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu.

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