“Proposals for Change: Economic Policy Platforms of the Presidential Campaigns” will be held  Friday, October 10  from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Plenary Room on the first floor of the east wing of Grainger Hall.

The advisors who will participate are: Austan Goolsbee, senior economic advisor, Obama ’08, and  Douglas Holtz-Eakin, senior policy advisor, McCain ’08. Moderating the discussion will be Dean Michael Knetter.

The event is being sponsored by the Wisconsin School of Business, CIBER, the Department of Economics and the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE). It is being cosponsored by the Madison International Trade Association

Limited space is available and tickets are required for admission. Tickets will become available for pick up on a first-come, first serve basis at the information desk of Grainger Hall as of Thursday, October 2. The desk hours are Monday through Friday  7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday non to 5 p.m.)

View the complete Economist Intelligence Unit rankings.

The Economist Intelligence Unit rankings, published by the Economist magazine, are based on questionnaires completed by 115 business schools and around 20,000 current MBA students and graduates. Final rankings result from taking a weighted average of data collected over a three-year period: 2008 (50%), 2007 (30%), and 2006 (20%). Numerical data such as GMAT scores are combined with subjective views from students and graduates to evaluate how full-time MBA programs deliver on the following areas:

Open new career opportunities and/or further current career
Offer personal development and educational experience
Increase salary
Potential to network

The Wisconsin School of Business launched the new Wisconsin MBA program based on career specializations in fall 2004. The first class of students of the new program graduated in May 2006. The new specialized MBA program prepares students to launch careers in highly focused areas.

Based on internal measurements, the school has made progress on key fundamentals:

Student quality, as measured by average GMAT score, is 666 for this fall’s entering class, compared to 656 for students who enrolled in 2007.

May 2008 graduates’ overall satisfaction with the quality of program was at 96 percent and May 2007 graduate satisfaction was 85 percent.

Career placement for May 2008 graduates was 94 percent within three months of graduation, with an average salary of $88,626. The class of 2007 had 96 percent placement, with an average salary of $82,000.

In announcing the ranking, Dean Michael Knetter said, “We appreciate the significance of the Economist ranking as a widely disseminated indicator of our relative quality on certain measurable criteria. We remain committed to improving the specialized MBA model we set into motion with the 2006 graduating class.”

The talk was webcast to alumni and others were invited to listen in. Following his talk, Michael Knetter, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, introduced a panel discussion featuring Professors Jim Seward, Tim Riddiough, Mark Ready and Morris Davis.

A webcast of the discussion is posted.

The talk was covered by:
CBS - WISC TV (10 o’clock news):
WKOW - ABC (front page article and video (5, 6 and 10 o’clock news)):
NBC – WMTV (front page article and video (5, 6 and 10 o’clock news)):
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (When will crisis sink in?):

Oros earned his BBA  from the Wisconsin School of Business in 1971. Oros also serves as executive chairman of Enstar Group, Limited, which is based in Bermuda. From 1980 to 2000, he was an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he became a general partner in 1986. Oros serves on the Board of Directors of both Encore Capital Group in San Diego, Calif., and the Saddle River Valley Bank, N.J.

• Erin Nickelsburg has joined the MBA Program Office as director of MBA admissions and recruitment. Nickelsburg comes to the business school from Valparaiso University where she was the assistant director of the Graduate Programs in management. Previously, she worked for General Employment Enterprises in Chicago, Ill., and Target Corporation. Nickelsburg has her BS in Business Administration and her MBA from Valparaiso University.
• John Jensen has joined Marketing Services as an information processing consultant. He will be working with Webmaster Mark Anderson on the Wisconsin School of Business Web site. Previously, Jensen worked as an information processing consultant for the Center on Education and Work and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Jensen holds both a MS and a MA in Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Carrie Hirst comes to the Wisconsin School of Business as a lecturer, supporting the Risk Management and Insurance MBA Specialization. Hirst previously worked for the Ridgeview Foundation in Waconia, Minn., as a lead gift officer and fundraising development coordinator. She has her MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and her BA from Knox College.
• Ankur Malhotra has accepted a part-time position as a lecturer in the Management and Human Resources Department. Previously, Malhotra worked for Matador Consulting LLC in Madison, Wis., as a management consultant. He was also the co-founder and former chief operations officer for The NeuronFarm LLC, an educational software information technology startup. Malhotra has his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Management and Human Resources and his BE from the RV College of Engineering at Bangalore University.
• Rena Gelman has accepted the position of associate outreach specialist in the Small Business Development Center.  Prior to joining the Wisconsin School of Business, Gelman was the business owner and manager of Sunprint Café for over 20 years. She received her BS in English Literature from New York University.
• Mary Kull has accepted an LTE position as university services associate 2  with the Business Learning Center.
• Michelle Harris has joined Executive Education as a  university services associate 1 with Executive Education.

Departures

• Student Services Coordinator Mike Carr accepted a position with the School of Nursing after five years with business school’s Undergraduate Academic Services office.

Transitions

• Mason Carpenter, Management and Human Resources, was approved for promotion to full professor by the Wisconsin School of Business Committee of Full Professors.
• Jeff Gehrke has accepted the position of assistant dean, Undergraduate Academic Services (UAS).  Gehrke  has worked in the Wisconsin School of Business since 1990 and has been with UAS since 1994.  In announcing his selection, Dean Michael Knetter said, “Academic advising and policy are important components of our undergraduate program, even more so as we make the transition to sophomore admissions.  Jeff will play a key role is helping to ensure this change will occur as smoothly as possible.”

Accomplishments

• Dan Anderson, Leslie P. Schultz Professor of Risk Management and Insurance, was named a “Risk Innovator” in the Higher Education category by Risk Management Magazine.
• Urban Wemmerlöv, Kress Family Wisconsin Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management, gave an invited presentation on focused factories in healthcare at the Third Annual Conference on Innovation in Healthcare Delivery  held at Childrens’ Hospital, Cincinnati in September. 
• Professor Steve Malpezzi, Real Estate, participated in a day-long workshop at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to provide advice to HUD regarding the current housing and financial crises, and implications for national housing policy. Malpezzi also spoke at one of the “Rays of Research” programs for the Wisconsin School of Business community on “The Crisis in U.S. Housing and Financial Markets: How Did We Get Here? Which Way Out?”
• Senior Lecturer Joe Boucher, Business Law, co-authored an article for the August edition of the Wisconsin Lawyer, “Shedding Light on Recent Developments on LLC’s.”
• John Surdyk, director of the Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship (INSITE), addressed a gathering of freshmen legislators from  the upper Midwest and Canada on technological innovations in “green”  infrastructure in August at the Fluno Center as part of the  Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. Surdyk was joined on the panel, “Building and Maintaining Infrastructure: A Real Do-It-Yourself Job,” by Michael Pagano, dean of Public Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago. John Austin of the Brookings Institution moderated.
• Senior Lecturer Emeritus Rod Matthews will lead 12 students from the undergraduate International Real Estate course to Munich in early October to participate in EXPO Real, the largest European real estate conference in central Europe. Matthews, who is taking his 34th class on international travel, also will be the U.S. representative on an academic panel on international real estate education at EXPO Real.

Professor Barry Gerhart, Management and Human Resources, was quoted in the USA Today article, “CEOs split on paying for good grades.” Gerhart commented on the advantages and disadvantages on students’ motivation when they get paid for their grades. The article also ran in the Detroit Free Press.

Joann Peck, assistant professor, Marketing, was quoted in the U.S. News & World Report article, “Some must touch before they buy.” The article discussed Peck’s need-for-touch scale she developed that places consumers along a continuum. She said this need can have a large impact on online shopping, which is becoming increasingly popular.

Morris Davis, assistant professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor on the Fannie and Freddie takeover: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0908/p01s01-usec.html. He also was featured on the National Public Radio show Marketplace in the segment, “Economists split on what Fed will do.” Davis felt the Federal Open Market Committee would cut the Federal Funds rate by 25 basis points.

Undergraduate student Sean Grossberg was quoted in the AP story, “A quake rocks Wall Street and the tremors ripple.” The story chronicled the fall-out of Wall Street, including Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch. The story appeared nation-wide in publications such as Forbes, BusinessWeek and the Chicago Tribune.

Risk Management Magazine featured the Actuarial Science Risk Management and Insurance Program in its article, “Risk management U: The academies,” on the nation’s best risk management programs. They cite the program’s commitment to a hands-on, project-based approach as the reason the program ranks highly. The article also quotes Senior Associate Dean Joan Schmit, director of the RMI program.

Deborah Mitchell, associate dean, Enterprise MBA, was quoted in the October issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine in the Small Business Makeover section. The article, “Running a small business after the leader dies,” focused on local Wisconsin firm, Pecard Chemical, a manufacturer of leather-care products. Mitchell provided marketing and branding advice as part of a panel of experts.

Real Estate Professor Tim Riddiough was quoted on the prospects for REITs in the NAREIT SmartBrief

Regional/local

Jim Seward, professor, Finance, was featured in the Wisconsin Radio Network segment, “Wall Street meltdown- not over yet?”

Ernst & Young donated $840,000 to the Wisconsin School of Business for a new accounting computer lab and department chair. Stories appeared in the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Badger Herald, among others.

Dean Michael Knetter had two op-ed articles published this month. In the  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he wrote about the current financial markets and public confidence  http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=799676. Earlier, he wrote an op-ed defending the quality of UW-Madison education that ran in the Wisconsin State Journal  http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/column/other/304676.

The Entrepreneurship rankings of the Wisconsin School of Business were covered in the Daily Cardinal: http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/20408

The way in which Wisconsin School of Business alumni created theclassconnection.com to help students around the world study  was covered by (NBC/Channel 15)- http://www.nbc15.com/news/headlines/28699744.html

The Wisconsin State Journal featured an article, “UW-Madison students peddle a bike and a product for Free Bikes,” about Wisconsin School of Business alum Matt Lerner. The business offers students free bike rentals, lock and storage in exchange for riding with an advertisement attached to the bike. It is a concept Lerner calls “advercycling.” The business also appeared in the Badger Herald.

Morris Davis, assistant professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, was quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal article, “Mixed views locally on Fannie, Freddie takeover.” Davis felt the government made the right move by bailing out the mortgage finance companies.

The Wisconsin State Journal ran an article, “UW economics department struggles to meet demand,” on the increased demand for an economic degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The department is struggling to keep up with the rising number of students declaring a major in economics. Steve Schroeder, director, Business Career Center, is quoted in the article on how the growing popularity and 50 percent admittance rate of the Wisconsin School of Business impacts the number of economic majors. The article also ran in the Chicago Sun-Times, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Green Bay Press Gazette, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Lacrosse Tribune.

Morris Davis, assistant professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, appeared on CBS-WISC TV discussing the local impact of the AIG bailout. Davis felt the AIG federal bailout helped the situation from going from bad to worse locally. Davis also appeared in another segment to discuss what the overall Wall Street turmoil meant for the Madison and Wisconsin economies.

Jim Johannes, professor, Finance, Investment and Banking, was quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal article, “Local experts say financial crisis is ‘out of control.’”

Mark Ready, professor, Finance, Investment and Banking, appeared on ABC WKOW-TV to discuss how the bank bailouts could potentially free-up money for Americans.

The students found that the Business Library has a high rate of satisfaction among the students surveyed. Most of the students felt that the Business Library provided good services, resources and facilities. The class did some additional analysis and presented the argument that additional hours, as well as access to more power outlets, would enhance the Business Library experience for students.

The Business Library secured the funds for both. The General Library System (the Business Library is part of the campus library system) provided remodeling dollars from various gift funds, which allowed the library to install more than 30 additional power outlets. As a result, the Business Library is close to its goal of providing power outlets at each seat.

The General Library System also provided additional student budget dollars to expand the hours of the Business Library. Starting with the fall semester, the library is open until 1:00 am every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening. These days were chosen based on the market research project that surveyed when students were most likely to use the library. The Business Library hours can be found at http://business.library.wisc.edu/hours.html.

Reservations are needed, as space is limited. Please RSVP to Steve Schroeder at sschroeder@bus.wisc.edu.

The Wisconsin Real Estate Conference, hosted by the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association, was held on September 17-19 in Madison. About 400 alumni attended and discussed “The Credit Crunch: How to Profit in the Current Environment.” Professor Morris Davis and his band “The Contractions” performed for the group at the Memorial Union Terrace. Davis also presented a housing market outlook at the conference.

Two programs within the Wisconsin School of Business retained their rankings within the magazine’s top-five list of specialties. The Real Estate program was again ranked second and the Risk Management and Insurance program was again ranked third in the nation. In the same issue, the Marketing program ranked 10th, Quantitative Analysis ranked 11th, the Finance program ranked 15th, the Accounting program ranked 16th and the Management program ranked 17th.

“Rankings are a relative measurement of how we compare to other business schools along certain dimensions at a given point in time,” said Mike Knetter, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. “We remain committed to attracting great students, providing an exceptional educational experience, increasing career readiness and global understanding and generating great career opportunities.

“Next fall, we will welcome our first sophomores into the program, allowing for a more structured curriculum in which courses build upon each other. The new curriculum also will focus on strengthening students’ communication and quantitative skills and provide better internship opportunities. We are also focused on other improvements, such as increasing diversity amongst our student body and enhancing the international exposure of our graduates,” he said.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison as a whole was ranked 35th in the U.S., seventh among public universities, and third among Big Ten schools. The rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty who responded to an invitation to nominate peer institutions on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). A total of 38 percent of those surveyed responded. Specialty areas were ranked based on the number of nominations received from respondents.

Wisconsin’s undergraduate program has been ranked among top programs in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report ever since the magazine began ranking undergraduate business programs in 1996.