Home > Gazette > June 2007

FACULTY-STAFF NEWS

Peter Barcher, assistant dean for research, will retire the end of July. He will be joining George Mason University in Virginia as of August 1 as professor and associate dean for research in the College of Education and Human Development.
 
Gary Lessuise has retired from his role as assistant dean of masters programs after two years. Lessuise earned his undergraduate and MBA degrees from UW-Madison and was active in recruiting on campus for Ford for a decade. He served four years on the Dean's Advisory Board. 

The Undergraduate Programs Office has two new staff members. Emily Soehniein is a student services coordinator and will coordinate efforts on behalf of transfer students. She joins the School of Business from the UW-Madison Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where she was a transfer admission counselor. She has a bachelor of liberal arts from UW-Madison, having double majored in French and international relations. Brian Zehren also joins the Undergraduate Programs Office as a student services coordinator. He will focus on technology in academic services delivery to undergraduate business students and academic advising. Zehren comes to the School of Business from the UW-Madison Office of Undergraduate Admission, where he was a student service coordinator/recruitment information specialist. Zehren has a B.A. from Ripon College, with a double major in communication and religion.

Assistant professor Mason Carpenter, Management and Human Resources, launched a new version of his book “Strategic Management: an Integrated StratSim Experience” co-authored with Brigham Young University professor William Sanders. In addition, they will be launching a series of live video cases with the CEOs of PacificCycle, NeuroCare (Viasys), Southwest Medical School and SNOCAP.

Susan Laufenberg joined the Copy Center earlier this year as printing assistant. She came to the School of Business from Kinko’s, where she had 11 years of experience. 

Leon Kenman, lecturer, General Business Communications, ended his employment with the School of Business in May.

Former professor Kerry Vandell, Real Estate, has been given emeritus status.

Associate professor Z. Kevin Weng, Operations and Information Management, has been given emeritus status.

Public Relations Director Tina Frailey was among 40 participants of the university’s annual “The Wisconsin Idea Seminar” in May. The weeklong bus tour introduces faculty and staff to the Wisconsin Idea, the commitment to use university expertise and resources to address the state's problems. Highlights of the weeklong trip included stops at: the Aldo Leopold Shack in Baraboo; Bemis Company, a plastics manufacturer in Oshkosh; a 1,300-head dairy farm in Fond du Lac; Seaquest Cherry Orchard in Door County; and a maximum security prison in Green Bay. For more information on the Wisconsin Idea Seminar, visit: http://www.grad.wisc.edu/wis/ or email Miriam Simmons at msimmons@bascom.wisc.edu.

An internship with Google that was a part of the Big Badger Auction, an online event sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association was named in honor of retired School of Business professor Robert Pricer. With a bid of $8,500, an anonymous donor won the online auction and the right to underwrite the internship. UW-Madison junior Caitlin Krois was selected from a pool of marketing, business and journalism students for the paid summer internship with Google, Inc.