In Demand: Marketing Researchers
Marketing research is getting a seat at the head table as never before. Alumni explore the new cachet— and challenges —facing their field.
From the Desk of Alisa Robertson
Director of Alumni Relations
When we first started talking about building an alumni network that rivals a private business school network, I wasn’t sure exactly what we needed to change. After all, Wisconsin alumni are incredibly loyal, enthusiastic (and certainly more fun!) than Harvard, Wharton and Kellogg alumni.
But as we’ve worked over the past couple years to strengthen the Wisconsin Business Alumni network and provide more opportunities for alumni to get involved with programs within the school, I see what we had been missing.
While Wisconsin business alumni are loyal and enthusiastics, as a group we haven’t supported each other as much as we could. Private business school alumni realize when they graduate that they’ve earned much more than a degree – they’ve earned the support of a strong professional network. Wisconsin students and alumni have a similar network to draw upon, but we haven’t always used it as effectively.
With the help of alumni and friends around the world, we’re working to make our network stronger. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come.
In 2006, more than 2,300 alumni and friends attended Wisconsin Business Alumni events in several cities including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. This fall, our Real Estate, Applied Security Analysis, Marketing Research and several other business school programs held alumni reunions. Alumni from these programs turned out in record numbers to connect with each other back in Madison.
More and more alumni are getting involved with our efforts to strengthen our network. Business alumni including Brett Horn, BBA ’94 in Chicago, Jordan Roberts, BBA ’03, in San Francisco, Kristin Nichols, BBA ’02, in New York and Scott Finkelmeyer, BBA ’99, in Phoenix are leading efforts with their regional Wisconsin Alumni Association chapters to further develop professional networking opportunities for Wisconsin alumni.
With the help of our online alumni directory, students and alumni are connecting with each other every day. Development is under way for a new online alumni directory and job board which will be launched next spring. This new resource will be more user friendly than our current directory and will make it even easier for alumni to build connections. We will continue to develop more opportunities for you to connect with other alumni. We welcome your ideas and encourage you to think about how you can help strengthen our alumni network.
Wisconsin Business Alumni
Director
Alisa Robertson
Assistant Director
Richard Lee
Assistant Director
Kaylene Reilly
608/265-0575
alumni@bus.wisc.edu
www.bus.wisc.edu/alumni
Update Magazine December 2006
Feature Stories
Real Estate Reality Check
Now that the super-hot residential housing market of recent years is cooling, real estate professors and practitioners explore the new reality.
Innovate or Else
Status quo is not an option. Management Professor Sanjay Jain explores why companies must innovate
and how successful companies have done it.
What Every New Board Member Should Know
Corporate boards are increasingly in the headlines—and often not in a good way. Ten things you should know before you agree to serve on that corporate board.
Women at Work
Companies must find ways to benefit from the talents of women leaders if they wish to remain competitive.
Departments
DECEMBER 2006 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 2
EDITOR: Lari Fanlund
DESIGN: Lori Strelow
INTERNS: Jessica Williams,
Annie Van Cleve and Megan Wood
PRINTING: Schumann Printers, Inc.
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Alisa Robertson, Chair
Melissa Amos-Landgraf, Jim Kubek, Richard Lee, Mark Matosian, Maureen O’Connor, Kaylene Reilly, Patricia Seaman, Steve Schroeder and Charlie Trevor
UPDATE is published in print and online each June and December by Wisconsin Business Alumni to inform alumni and friends about programs and activities of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business and its alumni. Printing is paid for with private contributions. This issue, and previous ones, are available online. Correspondence should be sent to lfanlund@bus.wisc.edu or mailed to:
UPDATE
5151 Grainger Hall
975 University Ave.
Madison, WI 53706-1323
Visit the School of Business Web home page.