Home > Gazette > September 2006

September 1, 2006

Wisconsin Undergraduate Business Program
Ranked 13th in Nation by U.S. News    

The latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate business programs places UW-Madison 13th among all business schools in the U.S., down one spot from 12th place last year.

In addition, two programs within the School of Business made the magazine’s top five list. The Real Estate program was ranked second, up two spots from last year. The Insurance program was rated third in the nation, the same as last year.

In all, seven School of Business programs were ranked in the top 20. In addition to Real Estate and Insurance, the Marketing program was ranked 8th, the Finance program 15th, the Management program 17th, and the Accounting program and Supply Chain Management/Logistics program were both ranked 18th. 

“It is gratifying to continue to be ranked among the top programs in the U.S,” School of Business Dean Michael M. Knetter said. “A recent review of our undergraduate program identified ways to make it even stronger. We are undertaking structural improvements to our curriculum, moving toward earlier admission to provide better internship opportunities for our students, and adding a significant leadership component. Other improvements, such as enhancing the international exposure of our graduates, are in the planning stages.”

Undergraduates Have New Way to Learn to be Leaders:
Accenture Leadership Center Opens 

Undergraduate business and engineering students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who aim to be leaders in their careers and communities, now have a new way to reach that goal.  This fall, the new business school opens the Accenture Leadership Center (ALC) to provide opportunities for students to develop leadership skills outside the classroom.

Steve Schroeder, director of the business school’s Business Career Center, said the new leadership center will “provide a unique laboratory atmosphere that encourages students to practice their leadership in a supportive environment.”  

The Accenture Leadership Center  will be housed in 2261 Grainger Hall. Active and retired senior executives of Accenture, the global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, provided financial support to endow the center, helped develop its curriculum and will serve as instructors and role models. The Accenture Leadership Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is the only one of its kind. 

The ALC curriculum is delivered in partnership with the highly successful LeaderShape® Institute that over the past 20 years has been delivered to more than 20,000 young adults representing 750 colleges and universities.

Jim Wierzba, a retired Accenture partner who earned his undergraduate  degree and MBA from UW-Madison, said he and his colleagues wanted to “create a special learning experience by combining the inspirational instructional material from the LeaderShape Institute with the mentoring capacity of active and retired Accenture senior executives.” 
 
The Accenture Leadership Center  serves pre-business and business students, with participation available to engineering undergraduate students. Enrollment is open to all undergraduate students in the two schools, regardless of major.

The center’s year-long curriculum has four major components: LeaderShape® Institute – an intensive six-day session focused on concepts and hands-on learning; mentoring sessions led by experienced business practitioners; project work – clusters of students working together on a major project for the School of Business or broader Madison community; and a capstone event  to celebrate the accomplishments of participants.

For upcoming information on the Accenture Leadership Center,  go to www.bus.wisc.edu/ALC, call Steve Schroeder at 265-4190 or email ALC@bus.wisc.edu.

 

New Platform for Evening and Executive MBA Degree Programs Created

A new division within the School of Business, designated “Enterprise MBA Programs,” has been created to grow and leverage the strengths of MBA programs targeting working professionals. 

Deborah Mitchell has been named to the newly created position of executive director of Enterprise MBA programs, leading both the Evening and the Executive MBA.  “‘Enterprise’ captures what these programs are all about,” according to Mitchell, “both to the individual students enrolled in them and to the School of Business: a venture that involves confidence and great initiative, aimed specifically at growth.  By bringing them under the Enterprise designation, we can further differentiate and enhance the programs’ strong points while building on their synergies.”

Mitchell has taught various marketing courses at the School of Business since 2003, and has extensive experience in brand and marketing consulting.  She was voted the Teacher of the Year award by MBA students in the full-time Wisconsin MBA program this past spring. She has a Ph.D. in marketing and behavioral science from the University of Chicago and began her academic career as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. 

In announcing her appointment, School of Business Dean Michael Knetter noted: “Deborah's experience has focused on bridging the best offered by both the academic and business worlds, and her skills represent a particularly good fit for the executive director, Enterprise MBA Programs position.”

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Arrivals

Seann Sweeney has accepted the position of student services coordinator with the MBA Program Office effective Sept. 25. He will be the assistant director of marketing and recruiting for the full-time Wisconsin MBA program. Sweeney comes to Wisconsin from Colorado State University, where he was project research coordinator.  Previously, he was with the Sierra Club in San Francisco, as associate director, donor development and membership acquisition. He also was a media planner with Universal McCann in San Francisco. He has an MBA in management from the University of San  Francisco.

Eric Thornton has joined the Financial Management Office of the School of Business as a financial program supervisor.  Thorton  received his MBA in management from UW-Whitewater.  He is a Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant and has previous experience as a financial program supervisor at the Central Wisconsin Center and the Mendota Mental Health institute. 

Leon Kenman joins the School of Business as a lecturer of business communications.  He received a PhD in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin and previously has taught Russian, English and business communication.

Kirk Peter is a lecturer in actuarial science and risk management at the School of Business.  He worked with CUNA Mutual Group in both marketing and finance.  He received his BS in mathematics with a business administration minor at UW-Oshkosh.

Ronald Charkowski  has joined the Technology Support Center as an associate processing consultant and is the school’s new computer lab manager, replacing Shane Gillis. His office is in 1257. Charkowski is an graduate of  UW-Madison and has extensive experience in technical support.

Mary Dohm is a new university services associate 2 for the Business Career Center.  She has previously worked for Capitol Insurance Company, Visiting Nurse Service and WPS Insurance. 

Carol Birkholz is a new university services associate 1 with Executive Education. She comes to the School of Business from the UW-Madison History department.  
 
Gil Roth is an LTE marketing specialist with Executive Education at the Fluno Center. 

Departures

Jerry Weygandt, a long-time professor in the accounting department, officially retired in July although he will continue to teach during the fall semester. Weygandt has taught undergraduate and graduate accounting courses at UW-Madison for more than 30 years and is a national leader in the field of accounting, having served as president of the American Accounting Association and on several key committees of the American Institute of CPAs. Among his many honors, he has received the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Accounting Association and the Lifetime Achievement in Accounting Education Award from the Wisconsin Institute of CPAs.  

Roger Formisano is leaving his position as a faculty associate with Executive Education on Sept. 5 to join the UW Medical Foundation. At Executive Education, Formisano created and led the Center for Leadership and Applied Business (LAB) which offers new way for organizations to develop their high-potential executives. Formisano’s work with Executive Education focused on the areas of strategy, leadership, governance  and mergers and acquisition. Formisano returned to the School of Business in 2001 after nine years in the private sector. From 1975-1992, he taught courses in finance, risk management and insurance, and healthcare management, mainly at UW-Madison.

Katy France, a university services program associate A with the Evening MBA Program, resigned her position Aug. 18.

Transitions/Recognitions

Steve Schroeder, the director of the Business Career Center,  was elected president of the HireBig10+ consortium, a group within the Committee of Institutional Cooperation (CIC). The HireBig10+ consortium is an association of career services staffs from the 11 Big Ten schools, plus the University of Chicago and Notre Dame.  He will serve in this capacity for two years.

Blair Sanford, director, MBA Career Services, has been asked to serve another three-year term on the Alumni and Friends of the London School of Economics (AFLSE) Board of Directors.

Amy Climer will be an associate lecturer for the General Business 365: Diversity and business S.E.E.D class this fall. Climer previously was the director of undergraduate leadership development at the School of Business.

Sachin Tuli is now a lecturer in International Business for the School of Business. He previously was assistant director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the School of Business.

Abby Sanford Capper, senior marketing specialist at Executive Education, has been accepted into UW-Madison’s 2006-2007 Leadership Institute, a nine-month-long initiative where participants engage in a sustained dialogue within a diverse learning community.

Lori Strelow,  senior artist in the Office of Marketing and Communication, will teach an evening class this fall in Typography and Design for the UW-Madison Art Department.

Terry Maxwell, a lecturer in Finance, will teach both fall and spring semesters. He has an extensive background in investment banking.  He received a BS in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Northwestern University.

John Weltin  of the Technology Support Center, who worked in the first floor audio/visual office, is now working with faculty and staff computers on the fourth floor, taking the place of Scott Kohl.

Adam Havell has accepted a project appointment of IS resource support
technician-intermediate with the Hawk Center, effective Nov. 1.  He is
currently an LTE with the Hawk Center.

School of Business Golf Outing at University Ridge

The Graduate Business Association (GBA) will host the third annual golf outing to benefit Junior Achievement on Sept. 22  at 1 p.m. at University Ridge Golf Course.

The event aims to unite the entire UW-Madison School of Business graduate community for a common cause, with foursomes comprised of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the School of Business. Each hole will represent a career specialization or special interest within the School of Business. Teams will be formed around centers of specialization in the MBA program, in addition to teams from the School of Business community. All proceeds will be donated to Junior Achievement, an organization that educates and inspires young people to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives.

The golf scramble will be followed by a BBQ and reception at 6 p.m. where prizes will be awarded. Dean Michael Knetter will update the group about current and future initiatives of the School of Business. Those who choose not to golf can visit the driving range, where an instructor will be available, and join the group for the BBQ.

For more information and to register for this event, please contact Christina Zwicky at 920/265-6939, zwicky@wisc.edu or Jen Dombkowski at 646/220-5946, dombkowski@wisc.edu.

Walk- In Photo Session for School of Business Set for Sept. 11

School of Business faculty and staff wishing to have headshots taken, should attend a walk-in photo session from noon until 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11 in the Capitol Conference Room, 5120 Grainger Hall. No reservations are needed.  Anyone with questions about the photo session should contact Lari Fanlund in the Office of Marketing and Communication, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu, 262-2401.

Career Forum to Be Held at Kohl Center

The twenty-second annual School of Business Career Forum will be held on Monday, Sept. 18  from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center. The Forum will kick off the 2006-07 on-campus recruiting year and is open to all UW-Madison students interested in a career in business. Students meet employers on an informal basis to discuss career options and employment opportunities. Approximately 475 employer representatives from more than 150 organizations are currently registered to participate in this year’s Forum.

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 BCC, 3290 Grainger Hall, 262-4393, or jethridge@bus.wisc.edu, if you would like to attend.
Students registered with the BCC can access a searchable Forum employer database in BCCnet. A printed guide will be available at the Forum.

Career Forum 2006 is sponsored by the Business Career Center with assistance from Alpha Kappa Psi, Mu Kappa Tau and Student Faculty Board. More information is available on the BCC Web site.

IT Career Fair 

An IT Career Fair to connect UW-Madison students with information technology positions will be held Sept. 19 in Grainger Hall.  Representatives from companies such as Accenture, Deloitte & Touche, GE, IBM and Microsoft will attend.  All UW students interested in information technology careers may attend and those in information systems, accounting, supply chain, operations, engineering and computer science majors are particularly encouraged to attend.  Students who pre-register for the event will have their resume distributed at the career fair.

The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the atrium and the second floor of Grainger Hall.  The IT Career Fair is sponsored by the Association of Information Systems Professionals (AISP) with support from Deloitte & Touche and Accenture.

 

IN THE NEWS

Real estate prices were discussed in the August 17 edition of The Christian Science Monitor in “Homes for sale, but not for a song.”   Morris Davis, professor of real estate, was quoted and his recent federal research study was noted in the article.

Stephen Malpezzi, professor of real estate and urban land economics, was quoted in “Property values in state jump nearly 10%” in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug.15.  The article focused on the rise in Wisconsin property values.

Chuck Krueger, an associate professor in Executive Education, was quoted in the article “State Economy Slows in 2nd Quarter” on Aug. 18 on wisbusiness.com.  The article discussed how the Wisconsin economy has slowed, following a national trend.

The Capital Region Business Journal quoted Barry Gerhart, professor of management and human resources, in an article in its August addition on employee concerns about co-worker salaries.

In Business Magazine did a profile of Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, in “Reenvisioning the UW’s Weinert Center.”  Olszewski expressed his goals for the Weinert center and the WAVE program.

Marketing professors, Craig Thompson, Kenneth Wathne, Jan Heide and Aric Rindfleisch were mentioned in “UW biz professors honored” in The Capital Times.  The article mentions their appointment to the editorial review board for the Journal of Marketing as well as awards they have won.

Dan Anderson, professor of risk management and insurance was featured in “Federal hybrid tax credit no deal for some taxpayers” in the Wisconsin State Journal on Aug. 7.

U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the undergraduate program of the School of Business was covered in The Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times. See the articles at:
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2006/08/19/0608190048.php
or
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/08/18/0608180346.php

Linda Utivlugt, director of admissions and operations for the Wisconsin Evening MBA program, was quoted in the August issue of Wisconsin Women.  The article discussed the ways having an MBA can advance women’s careers and earning power.

The Wisconsin Bankers Association featured the Puelicher Center in its Aug.  3 newsletter in an article: “Wisconsin’s Own Puelicher Center Brings Together Best Minds in Banking”.  The article discussed in detail what the center offers for students and the benefits of learning through experience.

Corporate Report Wisconsin mentioned the Wisconsin Executive MBA and Evening MBA programs in “Earning Your MBA While You Work” in its August issue. Various MBA programs in Wisconsin were studied in the article.

The Fluno Center’s first place ranking in the world for food and accommodations from the Financial Times, along with the Executive Education rank were noted in “Briefings” in Corporate Report Wisconsin.

In Business Magazine honored John Surdyk, director of the Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurs, by naming him one of the top emerging leaders under the age of 40 in “40 under 40” in the August addition.

The Grainger Hall renovations were noted in The Badger Herald on Aug. 8, in “Downtown renovations bring changes.”

CIBER Co-sponsors “Perspectives on a Post-9/11 World”

The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) will co-sponsor a panel discussion, “Perspectives on a Post-9/11 World.” The event will held  Sept. 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union. The discussion is  sponsored by the UW-Madison Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE).  

Speakers will be: Vicki Bier, professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and director of the Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis; Captain Scott Mobley, U.S. Navy and professor of Naval Science; Jon Pevehouse, associate professor of Political Science and director of the International Studies major; and  Jeremi Suri, associate professor of History, WAGE senior fellow, and director of the Global Security Program.

Wisconsin Evening MBA Hosts New Student Orientation

The Wisconsin Evening MBA program welcomed the incoming class of 2009
at its new student orientation on Aug. 28 and 31. Fifty incoming students, representing 40 employers from throughout southern Wisconsin, will begin the Wisconsin Evening MBA program in the fall. Ten new students will take advantage of a new shuttle service from Milwaukee that begins this fall for Milwaukee-area residents.  

About the Gazette

The next issue of the School of Business Gazette will be distributed Oct. 1. Submissions should be sent by Sept. 26 to Lari Fanlund, lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu.