Home > Gazette > February 2008

February 1, 2008

IN THE NEWS

People and programs of the Wisconsin School of Business have been in the news recently.

December 2007

National

The Wisconsin Naming Gift was mentioned in the New York Times article “The graffiti of the philanthropic class.” The article praised the Wisconsin Naming Partnership for its “selfless philanthropy” in donating $85 million to keep the Wisconsin name.

Alumnus John Morgridge donated $175 million to the state of Wisconsin establish the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars. The donation will create an endowment to distribute grants to low-income public school graduates. Morgridge is also a member of the Wisconsin Naming Partnership. The story was covered in a variety of media outlets, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Chicago Tribune, the Milwaukee Business Journal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Capital Times and the Wisconsin State Journal.

Regional

The Wisconsin Naming Gift was mentioned as part of one of 2007’s top business stories in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Coming in at number eight on the list was business gifts to Wisconsin colleges and universities, including the $85 million to the Wisconsin School of Business.

Dean Michael Knetter and the Wisconsin School of Business were mentioned in the Minnesota Daily article “What’s in a med school’s name? Maybe $150 mil.” The article discussed the naming rights, including the recent $85 million donation to preserve the business school’s name.

The Wisconsin Naming Gift was mentioned in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article discussing a recent donation to Marquette University by James H. Keyes. The gift established an endowed deanship to be named after the donor for no set period of time, similar to the Wisconsin School of Business.

Assistant Professor Phil Kim and the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship were featured in the Wisbusiness.com article, “Lake Resources cuts plastic bait lure waste with new polymer design.” Under the guidance of Phil Kim, the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship teamed up with Lake Resources Group to launch a new line fishing lure.

The A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research conducted the fifth annual First Business Bank Economic Survey of Dane County. The survey reports a brighter business outlook for Dane County than the rest of the country. The results were covered in Wisbusiness.com, the Wisconsin Technology Network, the Capital Times, the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Region Business Journal.

Professor Dan Anderson was quoted in the Milwaukee Business Journal article, “A year later.” Anderson commented on how the Falk Corp. was able to recover from a fatal explosion at a Menomonee Valley manufacturing complex.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted Assistant Professor Morris Davis in the article “Gauging a home’s worth sometimes tricky.” Davis believes home prices will be stable at best in 2008.

Local

Alumnus Ivjot Kohli was mentioned in the Wisconsin State Journal article “Breaking a sweat in a virtual world.” Kohli paired with Bruce Winkler, who owns the virtual fitness software company RA Sports.

Assistant Professor Morris Davis participated in a BusinessWatch panel focusing on the 2008 business climate. Davis commented on the prospects for the housing market in 2008.

Neil Lerner, director of the Small Business Development Center, was quoted in the BusinessWatch article, “Start-up funding.” The article focused on fundraising tips for start-up and small businesses.

The Wisconsin State Journal quoted Professor Stephen Malpezzi in the article “Mortgage pain here not as bad as elsewhere.” The article focused on the local mortgage situation compared to the national crisis.

The Capital Times mentioned Dean Mike Knetter as a possible successor to Chancellor Wiley who announced he would be stepping down in September of 2008.

Assistant Professor Morris Davis is quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal article “Local economists: Fed did right thing.” The article discussed interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in December to prevent a housing and credit crisis.

Morris Davis, assistant professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, spoke before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in December. Davis predicted housing prices will either be flat or declining for three years and as a result the real gross domestic product will naturally shrink. The Capital Times covered this story.

Neeraj Arora, director of the A.C. Nielsen Center for Market Research, was quoted in the Capital Times article “A greener holiday?” Arora commented on how Al Gore helped bring global warming and sustainability into the mainstream. Holiday spending surveys indicated almost one in five consumers would purchase more eco-friendly products during the holiday season.

The Strategic Management in the Life and Engineering Sciences was mentioned in the Wisconsin State Journal article “Cell portraits – uniquely personal.” University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus Phil Fisette creates colorful pieces of art by photographing customers own DNA. A piece of his artwork hangs in Grainger Hall.

The Wisconsin State Journal quoted Stephen Malpezzi, chairman, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, in the article “Housing: The local market.” Malpezzi predicted Wisconsin’s strong economy would help the state resist a decline in house prices.

January 2008

National

A study co-written by Assistant Professor Morris Davis was quoted in the Wall Street Journal article “Home prices could fall 15% in rebalancing with rents.” The article states that home prices “would have to fall considerably to return to a normal relationship with rents.” The study was also mentioned in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

BizEd magazine, the magazine of AACSB, the Association to Advance the Collegiate Schools of Business, featured an article on the Wisconsin Naming Gift. The article lists all of the donors and quotes alumnus and Wisconsin Naming Partner Albert O. Nicholas.

Neil Lerner, director of the Small Business Development Center, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal. The article, “Want to sell a business? You may not be ready,” focuses on entrepreneurs and small business owners. Lerner comments on ways for small business owners to maximize profit.

MBA student Marjani Coffey wrote another article for BusinessWeek.com. In “Stress-free second year,” Coffey’ shared her thoughts as she faces her final semester in the Wisconsin MBA program.

Local

Professor Anne Miner is quoted in Corporate Report Wisconsin. The article, “Improvisation: A life-and-death tool for small business,” features Miner’s thoughts on how “improvisation” is becoming a useful tool in the business world. Miner is a leading researcher on the topic.

Alumni Jim Bradley, Joan Burke, and David Stark were all members of the In Business 2008 Executive Hall of Fame.

Executive Education’s Linda Gorchels was quoted in the Capital Times article “Brand new state.” Gorchels commented on efforts to change the image of the state of Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin State Journal quoted Associate Professor Jim Seward in article “Competition has impact on TomoTherapy stock.”

The Family Business Center was mentioned in the article “One ambulance, no money and a lot of guts” in BusinessWatch magazine. The article profiles the local company Ryan Brothers Ambulance and support it received from the Family Business Center.

Associate Professor Larry Hunter was quoted in the BusinessWatch article “Boomeration: Rethinking retirement, accommodating the ‘silver tsunami.’ ” Hunter comments on the impending boomer retirement and how that may cause alternative working arrangements.

The Wisconsin State Journal quoted Morris Davis in the article “Fewer homes built in 2007.” Davis stated the decrease in home construction in Dane County follows a nation-wide trend in the housing market.

Bolz Center in Arts Administration alumni Sarah Marty and George Tzougros were quoted in an article in Isthmus. “The business of art,” on how local art groups use imagination to stay alive. The article also mentions the Bolz Center .