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October 1, 2007

Wisconsin MBA Moves up to 48th in Economist Ranking

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is ranked 48th among all business schools in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual MBA ranking. The school advances 12 places from a ranking of 60th in 2006. The School of Business is ranked 26th among schools in the United States and fifth among the Big Ten schools.

Now in its sixth year, the Economist Intelligence Unit rankings are based on questionnaires completed by business schools and approximately 20,000 current MBA students and graduates around the globe. Numerical data is combined with subjective views from students and graduates to evaluate how full-time MBA programs deliver on the following areas:

• to open new career opportunities and/or further current career;
• to offer personal development and educational experience;
• to increase salary;
• the potential to network.

To view the entire report online, please visit: http://mba.eiu.com/

The 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 656 for this fall's entering class, compared to 661 for students who enrolled in 2006.
• May 2007 graduates' overall satisfaction with the quality of program was at 85 percent and May 2006 graduate satisfaction was also 85 percent.
• Career placement for May 2007 grads was 96 percent within three months of graduation, up from 95 percent for the class of 2006.

"This increase in our ranking reflects the success of the career-focused MBA strategy that we are currently implementing," said School of Business Dean Michael M. Knetter. "Our students benefit from a unique curriculum and world-class learning environment. They have an opportunity to connect with, and learn from, real-world leaders, and join a strong, close community as part of their UW experience."

In 2007, the Wisconsin MBA was ranked 27th in a national ranking of MBA programs by Forbes magazine, 29th among all business schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and 32nd in the regional category by the Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive ranking of MBA programs.

Welcome Your Guests to Grainger Hall

Beginning with the new academic year, one of the LCD screens in the atrium of Grainger Hall now has a scrolling list of guests to Grainger, customized each day to both welcome and guide guests of the School of Business.

Included guests can range from advisory board members, to guest speakers, visiting alumni, to recruiting companies. This project is maintained and updated daily by the Alumni Relations staff. To submit requests for the welcome screen, please send an email to alumni@bus.wisc.edu with the following information:

Date(s) guest will be in the building
Name of Guest (First and last)
Degree type (BBA/MBA, etc) and year
Job Title
Company
Purpose of visit

Please submit requests at least one week prior to the date guests plan to be in Grainger Hall. For more information, contact Kaylene Reilly kreilly@bus.wisc.edu.

Time Magazine Columnist to Visit This Month

Justin Fox, Time magazine's business and economics columnist, will spend a week this fall as the Business Writer in Residence. Fox will speak to classes of business students and journalism students October 22-25.

Before joining the magazine in January 2007, Fox spent more than a decade writing and editing for Fortune. He was Fortune's chief economics writer and also covered topics ranging from international business to technology to investing to high-end Japanese cuisine. In 2000 and 2001, he was the magazine's Europe editor, based in London. He started his blog, the Curious Capitalist, on CNNMoney.com (Fortune's Internet home) in 2006. His book, tentatively titled "The Myth of the Rational Investor" is scheduled to published by HarperBusiness in April 2008.

Anyone interested in scheduling a meeting or an event with Fox during his visit, should contact Tina Frailey or Lari Fanlund in the business school's Marketing Services office.

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Marketing Professor J. Paul Peter retired at the beginning of September. Throughout his career, Peter garnered national attention for his knowledge of the field, including winning the William O'Dell Award from the Journal of Marketing Research, as well as consulting for the Federal Trade Commission. Peter also served on the review boards of the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, and Journal of Business Research. In addition, he is the author of over 30 books and one of the most-cited authors in marketing literature.

Julie Tran, formerly with the UW-Madison Bursar's Office, accepted the position of associate student services coordinator in the Dean's Office. Tran will manage the timetable and regular analysis of academic activities, including classroom utilization and the implementation of the scheduling system of the new School of Business space in the addition. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from UW-Madison and is working toward her MBA from Cardinal Stritch University.

Genevieve Trewyn has joined the Business Career Center as a University Services Associate 2. She has a B.S. in Business Management with a minor in Marketing from Upper Iowa University. Trewyn previously worked as a substitute teacher in the Jefferson County school district. Julie Curti also has joined the Business Career Center as a University Services Associate 2. Curti recently graduated from UW-Madison with honors, receiving her B.A. in Geography and Political Science. She previously worked with the International Academic Programs at UW-Madison as a study abroad peer advisor.

Bill Patterson has accepted the position of IS systems development services professional in the Technology Support Center (TSC). Patterson is returning to the School of Business after working the past two years as a self-employed consultant. He has a degree from UW-Madison in Biochemistry.

Tina Frailey will be leaving her position as public relations director for the School of Business at the end of October. She will be starting a new position with a Wisconsin-based private philanthropist. She will continue to serve on the Bolz Center for Arts Administration's alumni advisory board.

Senior Lecturer Loren Kuzahara, Management and Human Resources, will be taking on the new role of deputy associate dean of undergraduate programs. Kuzahara will work with Senior Associate Dean Jim Johannes, who is serving as interim associate dean for undergraduate programs and with Steve Schroeder, who has been named assistant dean for undergraduate programs as well as continuing in his role as director of the Business Career Center. Kuzahara has been involved in several undergraduate initiatives, including serving as an advisor to case competitions and helping with the creation of the Accenture Leadership Center. He will be focusing on the curricular aspects of enhancing the undergraduate program in this new role.

Associate Professor Marjorie Rosenberg, Actuarial Science, Risk Management and Insurance won first place and $500 in the 42nd Actuarial Research Conference Presentation Prize competition, which was announced recently at the 42nd Actuarial Research Conference. She won for her presentation on "A Bayesian Two-Part Predictive Model for Health Care Costs Using Individual-level Data." At the same conference, in the category of graduate student presentations, doctoral student Paul Johnson took second place and $300 for his presentation, "Mitigating the Impact of Endogeneity in Healthcare Data via Multilevel Models."

University Codes Reminders

Some timely reminders of codes in force on UW-Madison property, including Grainger Hall, relating to bicycles, fire alarms and pets.

18.06(8) - Bicycles - No person may park or store his/her bicycle in buildings, on sidewalks or driveways, or in motor vehicle parking spaces, except in areas designated for that purpose or in bicycle racks. Bicycles shall be parked so as not to obstruct free passage of vehicles and pedestrians. Fine: $185.50

18.06(11g) - Fire Safety - No person may remain in any university facility or on university lands when an audible or visual fire alarm has been activated or upon being notified by fire fighting, law enforcement or security personnel to evacuate. Fine: $185.50

18.06(5) - Animals - The presence of dogs, cats, and other pets is prohibited in all university buildings and in arboretums at all times except as authorized by the chief administrative officer. Dogs specially trained or being specially trained to lead blind or deaf persons or to provide support for mobility-impaired persons, and wearing harnesses or leashes and special capes, shall be exempt from these provisions. The presence of dogs, cats and other pets shall be prohibited on all other university lands unless they are on leash under the control of and accompanied by a person. Any dog, cat or other pet found in violation of this subsection may be impounded and its owner subject to the penalty provisions s. UWS 18.07.

School of Business Website Ranked High for Content

Midwestbusiness.com recently evaluated the websites of all of the business schools at Big Ten universities. The website of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business received 35 points out of a possible 40, with a perfect 10 out of 10 for content.

Accenture Leadership Center Hosts Leadership Workshop

The Accenture Leadership Center (ALC) hosted a leadership boot-camp this past August as part of its year-long curriculum. The six-day session, which 55 UW-Madison undergraduate students attended, focused on developing students into the leaders of the future through a combination of one-on-one and group discussions, as well as other activities designed to strengthen leadership skills.

Other components of the year-long program include a guest speaker series, a leadership project and capstone event.  UW men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves kicked-off the speaker series with a presentation in September on leading a high-performance team.

This year, the ALC leadership project has evolved into its own course, GB 365: Leadership Development Seminar. The course aims at helping students continue to strengthen their leadership abilities, while using their talents to benefit the local community.

The ALC will sponsor another six-day workshop next August and faculty volunteers are needed to act as small-group facilitators. If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Shannon Elliott in the Accenture Leadership Center selliott@bus.wisc.edu or 262-8676.

Money, Marketing and Mentors Discussion Slated

Wiscontrepreneur is set to hold a "Money, Marketing and Mentors" panel discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union. A panel of alumni and local entrepreneurs will discuss how money, marketing and mentors helped them make their passion into their profession. This informal networking event is free and open to all UW-Madison students. Representatives from entrepreneur-related student organizations will be on hand, as well as food, soda and door prizes. Panelists include John Besmer of Planet Propaganda, Matt Weygandt from Barrique's, Ellizabeth Kramer of Lady Moxie and Anthony Adams of Credit Covers.

Rittenberg-led COSO Initiative Gathers National Attention

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, led by Professor Larry Rittenberg, Accounting and Information Systems, recently released a discussion document: Guidance on Monitoring Internal Control Systems. The discussion document, developed by COSO and a Grant Thornton LLP team, is accompanied by access to a Web-based feedback portal on the COSO website.

"This guidance more fully develops the monitoring component of COSO's Internal Control- Integrated Framework," Rittenberg said in a press release. "The guidance is appropriate for organizations of any size or structure to improve the quality of their internal controls systems for multiple business purposes."

COSO is seeking to answer questions about the clarity and applicability of the guidance on the feedback portal. The portal will close Oct. 31, 2007. Feedback will be used to develop an exposure draft available later this year. The final publication is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2008. To comment on the discussion document, visit www.coso.org/publications.htm.

Update on Grainger Hall Addition to be Held in November

An update on the addition to Grainger Hall will be held Tuesday, Nov. 20 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in Room 4151. Associate Dean for Administration Melissa Amos-Landgraf will provide a progress report on construction. All School of Business faculty and staff are invited to attend. Floor plans for the addition are now viewable online. http://www.bus.wisc.edu/graingeraddition/

UW-Madison CIBER Sponsors Participation in 2008 FDIB Programs in China and India

In January 2008, the UW-Madison CIBER will co-sponsor two Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) programs and provide partial support for UW System faculty and academic staff with teaching responsibilities to participate.

The India FDIB program will be held at the Management Development Institute (MDI) outside Delhi, India from Jan. 3-14, 2008. This program provides participants an in-depth understanding and insights into various aspects of life and business in one of the world's largest emerging economies.

The China FDIB program will take place from Jan. 2-14, 2008 and focuses on Hong Kong, China's Pearl River Delta and Shanghai. This study tour gives participants firsthand experience of these exciting regions and an opportunity to compare their phenomenal growth. Please visit the University of Colorado-Denver CIBER to learn more about the China FDIB and obtain updates on the 2008 trip.

The UW-Madison CIBER will pay registration costs and incidental trip-related expenses for up to two UW System faculty and academic staff to participate in each of these FDIB programs. Participants are responsible for their own international airfare. Applications for UW-Madison CIBER funding are due by Friday, October 12, 2007. To apply, please send an abbreviated CV and a cover letter indicating which program you are interested in attending and explaining your interest in the program and how its content would benefit your courses and/or research. Please send application materials to uwmadisonciber@bus.wisc.edu. For more information on these programs, please contact Suzanne Dove, CIBER outreach director, at sdove@bus.wisc.edu or 265-4938.

School of Business/ Risk Management and Insurance Program to Help Sponsor Climate Forum

The School of Business and the Risk Management and Insurance program will help sponsor the second annual Wisconsin Climate Change Forum. The forum will be held Oct. 23 and feature Susan Soloman, a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Soloman has conducted pioneering research in the international scientific community's efforts to discover the cause of depleted atmospheric ozone in the Antarctic, known as the ozone "hole." Professor Dan Anderson, Actuarial Science, Risk Management and Insurance will be on a panel that will be commenting on her talk.

Sustainable Business Presentation Scheduled

CIBER, the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, Net Impact, BASE and other co-sponsors will host a presentation entitled "Raising Our Game: The Future of Sustainable Business, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation" on Wednesday, October 17 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. in Grainger Hall (see Today in Grainger for room number).

Meghan Chapple-Brown of SustainAbility, a consulting company headquartered in London that advises clients on the risks and opportunities associated with sustainable development and corporate responsibility, will be the featured speaker. She will address issues such as: What is the business case for organizations to re-define their bottom line and what is the competitive advantage of corporate citizenship in an increasingly global economy? What are some future scenarios that might play out across industries? How can the trends toward entrepreneurship and innovation serve as leapfrog solutions? How can the business school curriculum address corporate social responsibility and what are some career opportunities for business school students interested in this area?

For more information on this event, please contact Suzanne Dove, CIBER outreach director, at sdove@bus.wisc.edu or 265-4938.

Socially Responsible Investing Talk to be Offered in Grainger Hall

The University’s Distinguished Lecture series will bring Bennett Freeman, director of social research, policy and advocacy work of the Calvert Group, the largest family of socially responsible mutual funds in the United States, to campus on Tuesday, Oct 9. Freeman will offer a talk on Socially Responsible Investments to School of Business faculty, staff and students on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 4:30 p.m. in Grainger Hall. Check Today in Grainger Hall for room location. This event is sponsored in part by the School of Business student organizations BASE and NetImpact.

Following the Grainger event, Freeman will offer a free public talk on campus at 7:30 p.m. (location TBA).

Freeman served in the Clinton administration from 1999 to 2001 as the deputy assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Since leaving the political sphere, he has continued to be one of the world's leading advocates for global corporate responsibility on environmental and human rights issues.

IN THE NEWS

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

National

Professors Morris Davis and François Ortalo-Magné co-authored an economic commentary titled "What's Really Happening with Housing Prices" published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. The research found that relaxed credit constraints could likely explain the boom in housing prices from 1998-2006. The study was covered in several national and regional publications, including: Dow Jones, Reuters News, Market News International, CoStar Group and Wisbusiness.com. View the articles here:
http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=104015
http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/Commentary/2007/0707.cfm
http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=705F0C1F15B6901A5866923B9A41B169

Dean Mike Knetter wrote an article for BizEd discussing the role of advisory boards in helping universities remain competitive in the market for business education. The article explored the role of  the Dean’s Advisory Board,  the Executive Advisory Board for the Center for Brand and Product Management and the Accenture Leadership Center. In addition, the article quoted alumnus Phil Matthews, who leads the Badger Alumni Capital Network.

Professor Thomas O’Guinn, Marketing, was quoted in an Associated Press story that ran nationally on covering the problems facing the airline Jet Blue and its struggling stocks. http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/152285.html

The Christian Science Monitor quoted Assistant Professor Morris Davis in the article “Credit Crunch likely to spur reforms.” The article focused on the number of recent home foreclosures. Davis was also quoted in a Wisconsin State Journal article on the topic.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0914/p02s01-usgn.html
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=246690

BusinessWeek online and MSNBC.com featured an article on the over-emphasis of an Ivy League education. The article, "Who needs the ivies?," mentioned that the University of Wisconsin produces the most CEOs in addition to producing the most university professors, Peace Corps volunteers and long-running patents.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2007
/tc20070830_254262.htm?chan=search

BusinessWeek online held an online chat with Betsy Kacizak, director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, and Ben Burney, a second-year Wisconsin MBA student. The two fielded questions from online audience members and a BusinessWeek online reporter.
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/sep2007
/bs2007093_447400.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_b-schools

CNNMoney.com quoted director of the Family Business Center, Ann Kinkade. The article, "Fixing a family business," featured three experts in family business to help fix a local Wisconsin business.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/17/smbusiness/foundry_makeover.fsb/index.htm

Professor Larry Rittenberg was quoted in the article "New COSO discussion paper seeks comment on guidance for monitoring internal controls," from the Daily Report for Executives. Rittenberg, the chairman of COSO, asked the public to comment on their new discussion paper to make it more user-friendly.

The Wisconsin MBA program was ranked 32nd in the regional category of the annual Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive ranking of MBA programs. The rankings were covered in the Capital Times, Badger Herald and Daily Cardinal.
http://www.careerjournal.com/reports/bschool07/20070917-alsop-mbrank.html
http://badgerherald.com/news/2007/09/18/uw_mbas_down_in_rank.php
http://dailycardinal.com/article/296

Regional

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted Dean Mike Knetter in the article "Grads go full circle-back to state." The article discusses the "boomerang" effect, which appears to be balancing the notion of a "brain drain." According to a recent study, college graduates in their 30s and 40s are returning to the state to work and raise a family. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=655667

School of Business alumnus Michael Roth was featured in an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The article discusses Stark Investments, a $14 billion hedge fund Roth co-founded. The company employs over 400 people in offices from London to Singapore.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=655856

Dean Mike Knetter wrote an editorial for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discussing the proposed UW tuition cap. The article stated such a cap would be a mistake because it would not allow for differential tuition in high-demand majors and would hinder the university system's ability to hire professors who are in highly recruited.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=655438

Assistant Professor Morris Davis, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, was quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The article, "Housing market in for worse?," discussed the future of the declining housing market. Davis predicted three bad years ahead before the market turns.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=658418

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned the program to expand entrepreneurship beyond the School of Business. Ewing Kauffman and the Kauffman Foundation donated $5 million to the program.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=662309

Local

The Wisconsin MBA program's ranking of 27th in the Forbes ranking was covered in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Wisbusiness.com and the Wisconsin State Journal covered the recent Economic Outlook Conference hosted by the School of Business at the Fluno Center. University of Wisconsin economist, Don Nichols, predicted a recession in 2008 following the housing market slump.
http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=104930
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/index.php?ntid=244665&ntpid=3

The Grainger Hall construction was covered in the Badger Herald. Associate Dean of Administration Melissa Amos-Landgraf was quoted on the summer updates to the building. http://badgerherald.com/news/2007/08/31/cranes_and_cones_sig.php

The differential tuition program, which begins this fall, was mentioned in the article “Engineers wait for tuition hike,” in the Badger Herald. A similar plan proposed for the College of Engineering has been delayed.
http://badgerherald.com/news/2007/08/31/engineers_wait_for_t.php

The Daily Cardinal quoted Dean Mike Knetter and Professor Stephen Malpezzi, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics. The article, "Young Wis. graduates leave for rival states," covered the "brain drain" of college graduates, ages 22 through 29, to bordering states.
http://dailycardinal.com/article/120

Assistant Professor Morris Davis, real estate and urban land economics, was on several local radio stations and quoted in the Capital Times regarding the current housing slump. Listen to the interviews and read the article here:
http://podcast.loyalears.com/wtdy.php?task=shows&show_id=51
http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/index.php?ntid=235936

The Capital Times quoted Assistant Professor Ann Terlaak, Management and Human Resources, in the article “A ‘fantastic’ day for the Ironman.” Terlaak participated in the recent Ironman competition for the third time, finishing 13th among all women.
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=233276

The Daily Cardinal featured an opinion piece on the prerequisite credits required for admission by the School of Business. The article also discussed the new policy of sophomore admission into the school.
http://dailycardinal.com/article/254

An opinion piece in the Wisconsin State Journal mentioned that the University of Wisconsin produces more CEOs than any other university. The article, "Bashing Bucky backfires," discussed the financial support of professors in the University of Wisconsin System to political parties and candidates.
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/index.php?ntid=244728&ntpid=1

BusinessWatch Magazine mentioned the Wisconsin MBA Program in the article, “MBA wrap-up.” The article detailed the area MBA programs, including the enterprise, executive, evening and full-time programs at the University of Wisconsin. BusinessWatch also featured an article on the 12th place undergraduate ranking of the School of Business in the recent U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The Career Forum co-hosted by the Business Career Center was featured in the article “UW ‘work ethic’ attracts 232 employers to career forum,” in the Daily Cardinal. Director Steve Schroeder was also quoted in the article on the quality of students on campus. http://dailycardinal.com/article/277

The new differential tuition at the School of Business was mentioned in the Badger Herald article “Get up, stand up,” about Dean of Students Lori Berquam. Berquam voiced her support of the differential tuition to keep the university competitive.
http://badgerherald.com/news/2007/09/17/get_up_stand_up.php

About the Gazette

The School of Business Gazette is published the first of the month by Marketing Services for faculty and staff of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. Submissions for the November 1 issue should be sent by October 26 to Editor Lari Fanlund, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu.