Home > Gazette > March 2007

March 1, 2007

CNBC’s Charles Gasparino to be Business Writer in Residence

Charles Gasparino, on-air editor for CNBC and former senior writer at Newsweek and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, will be on campus the week of April 16-20 as the spring semester’s Business Writer in Residence. The Business Writer in Residence program is a joint effort by the School of Business, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications and University Communications to bring in nationally known business writers to interact with business and journalism students.

In his role as CNBC's On-Air Editor, Gasparino provides up-to-the-minute reports throughout the day as the trading unfolds on Wall Street. Before joining CNBC, Gasparino covered Wall Street, pension funds, mutual funds, regulatory issues, and breaking news on some of the biggest financial scandals of recent times at Newsweek and at the Wall Street Journal.

At the Journal, he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in beat reporting in 2002 and won the New York Press Club award for best continuing coverage of the Wall Street research scandals. He is the author of "Blood on the Street," which has been called a Wall Street investigative journalism masterpiece. His newest book, "King of the Club," focuses on former New York Stock Exchange chief Dick Grasso and is due to hit the shelves in August.

Gasparino is scheduled to speak in several business and journalism classes and will be the keynote speaker for an Accenture Leadership Center (ALC) event.  Although much of his time during the week has been scheduled, some times may still be available.  Anyone interested in scheduled a meeting or an event with Gasparino, should contact Tina Frailey or Lari Fanlund in the Office of Marketing and Communications. 

The Business Writer in Residence program is funded by a grant from the UW Foundation.

Business Student Given Achievement Award

A business student was one of four University of Wisconsin System students to receive Alliant Energy/Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Awards recognizing outstanding scholarship and community-service efforts of students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups.

Natanael Jose Martinez is a recent UW-Madison graduate with degrees in management and human resources and marketing. Martinez works with middle-school English-as-a-Second-Language students and with UW-Madison’s PEOPLE program, designed to help high-school students bridge the gap between secondary and higher education.

The awards honor Erroll B. Davis, a former chief executive of Alliant Energy, who was the first Black leader of a “BusinessWeek 1000” company. Davis served as a member of the Board of Regents from 1987 to 1994, and is now chancellor of the University of Georgia System. The students chosen receive $4,000 awards upon graduation. The students were honored at a ceremony in Madison in February. 

Wisconsin MBA Students Take the Polar Plunge

A 20-person team representing the Wisconsin MBA raised more than $5,000 for Special Olympics by participating in the Madison Polar Plunge, which was held Feb. 17. They were among more than 1,500 who jumped into Lake Monona off the shores of Olin Turville Park. The Wisconsin MBA team was one of the top three fundraising teams in the state, beating out the UW Law School, among others. In all, more than $250,000 was raised by the Madison Polar Plunge. 

Wisconsin MBA students who plunged into the frigid waters of Olin Turville Point for a good cause were: Andrei Cervoneascii, Ato Micah, Tim Staton, Sean Ebert, Erika Healey, Solymar Berrios, Sheena Bliss, Don Henken, Robert Trainer, Mike Jolin, Kevin Murphy, Felipe Izquierdo, Katherine Stibley, JJ Kern, Jason Schultz, Carlos Valdivia, Jim Olson and Swetha Balla.

Two members of the School of Business faculty also participated. Professor Ken Kavajecz, the current associate dean for master’s programs, and Professor Don Hausch, who previously led the MBA program, also took the plunge.

For photos of the Madison Polar Plunge, click here: http://www.specialolympicswisconsin.org/plunge_a6.asp

FACULTY-STAFF NEWS

Gail Henslin has accepted the position of outreach specialist in the Small
Business Development Center.

Chris Benish has left the Undergraduate Programs Office for a position with the State of Wisconsin Investment Board as an investment and management services analyst.  Benish worked in the UPO for five years. Assistant Dean Jo Meier credited Benish with making the UPO a campus model for the integration of technology into student services delivery. Another UPO staff member, Annette McDaniel, has left for a position as assistant dean in the Division of Continuing Studies on campus.  McDaniel also worked in the UPO for five years and helped transfer students connect with the School of Business and the university.  Meier said McDaniel became a campus expert on the needs of transfer students.  

SHRM Chapter Hosts, Wins Statewide Event

The UW-Madison chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) hosted the HRGames and State Conference Feb. 23-24 in Grainger Hall. The HRGames help students prepare for the PHR Exam and network with professional chapter volunteers and other students.  The HRGames is a competition consisting of up to three students from any undergraduate SHRM chapter in Wisconsin.

The UW-Madison School of Business team won the HR Games, competing against 15 other teams to become the 2007 Wisconsin State Champions. The team will advance to regional competition April 13-14 at Northern Illinois University.  The winning team consists of three undergraduate students in Management and Human Resources:  Lauren Krzywda, Susan Mohr and David Siverling.

National Entrepreneurship Week, Feb. 25-March 3

The Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been hosting a number of programs for Entrepreneurship Week USA, a national effort to inspire and encourage young people to consider entrepreneurship as a career choice and to celebrate America's unique culture of inventiveness. The theme of the week, which began Feb. 25  and runs through March 3, is "What's Your Big Idea? Take It On!"

UW-Madison's participation comes at a particularly opportune time. The campus recently was named one of eight Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation "Kauffman Campuses." As such, it will receive $5 million over five years to stimulate awareness of entrepreneurship campus-wide, to help students from any part of campus access the skills of entrepreneurship, and to spur greater research commercialization statewide.

To kick off the campus-wide effort, the university held a forum called "Make Your Passion Your Profession" on Feb. 28. Students had the opportunity to hear from several successful young entrepreneurs, including current or former UW-Madison students.

As part of National Entrepreneurship Week, several School of Business initiatives were highlighted, including the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, the G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition and the Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship (INSITE).

For more information, go to http://www.wiscontrepreneurship.org

International Trips, Part 2

Last month’s School of Business Gazette covered study tours through the Wisconsin MBA Global Business Program to Chile and to Dubai, UAE during the first and second weeks of January. 

Several Wisconsin MBA Career Specializations took international trips as well:

Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management: Ireland

To see first hand what The Economist termed “Ireland’s economic miracle…one of the most remarkable transformations of recent times,” several Grainger Center MBA students traveled to Dublin and Waterford, Ireland, over winter break to participate in the Center's first "global experience." The week included visits to and tours of IBM, Intel, FreeFlow, Genzyme and meetings with representatives of the Industrial Development Authority of Ireland and the National Institute of Transport and Logistics. Students learned about policies that have led Ireland to become a hub of outsourced and off-shored operations for many U.S.-based companies. The experience culminated with an exchange with faculty, staff  and students in the supply chain management master's program at University College of Dublin Smurfit School of Business—one of Ireland’s premier business schools.  The Grainger Center plans to incorporate a similar international experience into the extracurricular programming every other year.

A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research: China

Seven students from the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research took a trip to China, visiting the cities of Shanghai and Beijing. The trip was a comprehensive mix of business visits and cultural immersion activities. The goal was to understand how marketing research supports or works within international firms, how marketing research fits with other functional areas of Chinese companies  and how these approaches might differ from the U.S. Students also took a day trip to ZhouZhuang, a famous water city about an hour outside Shanghai. Cultural visits in Beijing included a trip to the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden city. Students also had an opportunity to see China’s local markets and participate in an urban safari on how the new rich in China buy and consume luxury goods.

Company visits included Best Buy, McDonalds, P&G, J.D. Power and Associates, High Team promotions agency, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Committee  and a local real estate development firm.

The Center for Brand and Product Management: China              

The Center for Brand and Product Management took a 12-day trip to China to visit cultural sites and companies in the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing. The trip to China was developed as a collaborative effort between the Center’s board companies and students in recognition of the importance of China as an emerging market and a critical link in global supply chains. Additionally, as markets globalize, companies want their MBA hires to arrive with more significant international experience than in the past and the China trip provided allowed students to combine business education with global knowledge.

Company visits included Johnson & Johnson, Abbot, Freshfield’s law firm, Proctor & Gamble, SCJohnson, Grainger and Lowe Worldwide. Each company hosted the students for a two- to three-hour presentation about a recent business case or consumer issue which was followed by an open Q&A session. Factory tours were also provided at Johnson & Johnson and SCJohnson. The visits gave unique insight into intellectual property, Chinese consumers, and Asian business operations and an opportunity to contrast old versus new China to gain an understanding for the cultural dynamics of doing business in this country.  The trip will likely become a biannual event for the Center for Brand and Product Management.

IN THE NEWS

Associate Dean of Executive Education Roger Maclean was quoted in February’s issue of Directorship Magazine on accredited governance programs across the nation.

The new undergraduate major in Entrepreneurship was the subject of a feature story in the Wisconsin State Journal on Feb. 23 on how UW-Madison and the School of Business are trying to produce more entrepreneurs. http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/local/index.php?ntid=120234  
 
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 Glynn 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 at http://podcast.loyalears.com/wtdy.php?task=shows&show_id=51Wisconsin.  

The Capital Times and the Badger Herald noted the UW-Accounting students’ win at the PricewaterhouseCoopers xTAX competition.  Both articles quoted team coach and Chair of the Accounting and Information Systems Department, Professor Jon Davis. See these articles at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/02/15/0702150378.php

The February issue of The Capital Region Business Journal, mentioned the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship in “UW-Madison gets grant to spread entrepreneurial skills.”  The article notes the grant given to the school in order to encourage entrepreneurship outside the School of Business. See this article at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/02/01/0701220254.php

The Capital Region Business Journal also mentioned the business school’s new focus on the undergraduate entrepreneurship major. See this article at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/02/01/0701220264.php

The Capital Region Business Journal mentioned Executive Education’s rank as best in the world for open enrollment programs by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
See this article at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/02/01/0701220264.php

Lecturer Barry Perkel was quoted in “No Bubble to Burst: County commercial real estate strong for 2007” in the February issue of Business Watch.  

Two professors of Management and Human Resources were quoted in an article in the Capital Times: “What’s a winner worth? Should football coach earn more than top UW academics?” The article covered the new salary being paid to Football Coach Bret Bielema. Barry Gerhart and Mason Carpenter spoke about executive compensation  in general and specifically about salaries in the world of athletics.  The Feb. 16 article also compared Bieleman’s salary to that of other Wisconsin coaches and  campus academic leaders, including Dean Michael Knetter. See this article at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/02/16/0702160382.php

Business Watch magazine mentioned Deborah Mitchell’s new position as the executive director of the Enterprise MBA programs at the School of Business, in the February issue.  The Wisconsin State Journal mentioned   Linda Uitvlugt being named director of the Enterprise MBA programs.

The Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship was mentioned in “State funds far from home” in the Feb. 4 issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on $50 million given to a Seattle-based venture capital fund by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.

The School of Business was mentioned in “A major hurdle at UW” in the Feb. 4 issues of the Wisconsin State Journal.  The article discusses the difficulty many students have getting the major they want at UW-Madison.
See this article at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/02/04/0702030611.php

Real Estate Professor Tim Riddiough was interviewed for a WKOW TV story titled “State Sees Cash Cow in Government Buildings.” See this article at:
http://www.wkowtv.com/printable.php?ID=9078

The Daily Cardinal and Badger Herald had editorials on the proposed undergraduate tuition differential for business majors. See this article at:
http://www.dailycardinal.com/opinion/a-boost-to-business.html

The Wisconsin State Journal, The Daily Cardinal and The Badger Herald all included feature pieces on the proposed School of Business tuition differential.
See these articles at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/01/24/0701240077.php
http://www.dailycardinal.com/news/business-school-undergrads-likely-to-face-tuition-increases.html
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/01/25/0701240694.php
http://www.dailycardinal.com/news/dean-business-tuition-hike-necessary.html

The Wisconsin State Journal mentioned the Center for Real Estate’s renaming of the center after James A. Graaskamp on Feb. 9 and again on Feb 11.  The Capital Times and The Badger Herald also mentioned the change.  The Badger Herald quoted Tim Riddiough, director of the center, and Katherine Esposito, associate outreach specialist. 

Neil Lerner was quoted in “Madison’s Small Business Development Center Delivers Big Results” in Business Watch magazine.  The article details the services the Small Business Development Center provides and the benefits of the center.

Toni Whited, associate professor in the finance department, was quoted in “Alliant executives cash stock options” in the Wisconsin State Journal on Feb. 21.  The article discusses Alliant’s decision to sell more than $14 million of its stock.
See this article at:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/index.php?ntid=119855&ntpid=2

Spring Career Expo to Be Held March 19

Spring Career Expo (formerly the Spring Biz Jobs Fair) will be held on Monday, March 19, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center.  The Expo is open to all UW-Madison students.  It is an opportunity for students to meet employers on an informal basis to discuss fulltime employment opportunities and internships. Approximately 400 employer representatives from more than125 organizations are currently registered to participate in this year’s Expo.  More information is available online at http://www.bus.wisc.edu/career/student/events/springbiz/.

Students registered with the BCC can access a searchable Expo employer database in BCCnet.  A printed Guide will be available at the Expo.

Faculty and staff of the School of Business are invited to join employer representatives during a light dinner buffet from 6 to 8 p.m.  Please contact Julie Ethridge in the Business Career Center, 3290 Grainger Hall, 262-4393 or jethridge@bus.wisc.edu if you would like to attend.

For the first time, the Spring Career Expo is sponsored jointly between the Business Career Center and the College of Letters and Science/Human Ecology Career Service offices. Assistance is provided by Alpha Kappa Psi, Mu Kappa Tau and Student Faculty Board.

The Future of U.S.-Saudi Relations Explored in Talk

The volatile situation in the Middle East today may affect the future of U.S.-Saudi relations.  Thomas W. Lippman is one of the country’s foremost experts on Saudi Arabian affairs will discuss the issue at a presentation, “The Future of U.S.-Saudi Relations” to be held Tuesday, March 20 3:30-5 p.m. in 4151 Grainger Hall.  At this event, he will go beyond discussions of terrorism and explore how domestic changes within Saudi Arabia are affecting the bilateral relationship.
 
This event is sponsored by UW-Madison’s  Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) and the Middle East Studies Program.

For complete event information, please visit the CIBER website  http://www.bus.wisc.edu/ciber/events/admin_ciberevents.asp?eid=877.  For additional information, please e-mail: uwmadisonciber@bus.wisc.edu .

Madison Alumni Event Slated for March 14

A Madison Area Alumni & Friends Networking Reception will be Wednesday, March 14 at 7:15 p.m. at the Fluno Center. School of Business Dean Mike Knetter will provide a brief update on the school’s strategy and opportunities for alumni involvement. Cost to attend is $15 per person. To register, go to https://secure.bus.wisc.edu/rsvp/msn03142007.asp.

National Experts Brief Area Business Leaders on Economic Outlook

Four leading economists will share their insights and predictions for local, regional, national and international economies and financial markets for the remainder of 2007 and beyond at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Economic Outlook Conference on Friday, March 16, at the Fluno Center in Madison.

For more than 40 years, the semiannual event has helped business leaders and owners translate economic trends into competitive intelligence. The event will explore factors impacting the economy, such as oil prices, federal budget deficits, interest rates, the employment outlook and the war on terrorism. Business leaders from throughout Wisconsin, northern Illinois and eastern Iowa are expected to attend.

Featured speakers are:

- Neil George, editor of Personal Finance, Neil George's Inner Circle and By George! He recently retired as a chief economist of a New York-based money management and affiliated brokerage company and helped found and build the International Markets Division of Mark Twain Bank. 

- Anthony Chan, managing director and chief economist, JPMorgan Private Client Services. He is a member of the prestigious Blue Chip Monthly Forecasting panel and the National Association of Business Economists Quarterly Macro Panel, as well as Reuters, Bloomberg and Dow Jones Weekly Economic Indicator panels. 

- Jay N. Mueller, senior portfolio manager, Wells Capital Management Fixed Income Team. 

- Donald A. Nichols, UW-Madison professor emeritus of economics and public affairs. 

Economic Outlook is a signature event of the Executive Education program at the UW-Madison School of Business. For more information or to register for the event, call (800) 348-8964 or visit http://www.uwexeced.com/advancedmanagement/econ.htm.

About the Gazette

The School of Business Gazette is published the first of every month by the Office of Marketing and Communications for faculty and staff of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. Send submissions or other feedback to Editor Lari Fanlund, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu. The deadline for submitting items for the April 1 issue is March 25.