School News
Entrepreneurship Across Generations
If you ever wanted to hire someone who could make a really good paper airplane, you would have had ample opportunity at the Wisconsin School of Business last summer.
In July, WSB hosted its first course during UW–Madison’s popular Grandparents University (GPU), in which families take part in a two-day multigenerational learning experience on campus. The university has hosted GPU since 2001, but WSB’s entrepreneurship session marked the first time a business “major” was offered.
In the GPU business class, grandparents and grandchildren ages 8-14 together learned what entrepreneurs are and how they make connections to grow their startups. They then built and tested paper airplanes, which involved financing the materials (with play money, of course) and finding a “buyer” for the product.
On the second day, families worked with their own ideas. They chose a brand name and developed a business model and marketing plan. Families created a variety of businesses, including a travel agency, a sports academy for children with autism, and a farm-to-table restaurant.
“The grandparents and grandkids both enjoyed and learned from the entrepreneurship major,” says Julie Wood, education program manager at the university’s Small Business Development Center. “It was a fun and engaging way to connect their interests and talents to create something they could work on together.”
Ninety-seven participants took part in the GPU event at WSB, which will be offered again in Summer 2019. Overall, 1,466 attended GPU, which was created by the Wisconsin Alumni Association.
Happy 25th Birthday, Grainger Hall!
It may be hard to fathom a time when Grainger Hall wasn’t the campus hub for business education, but prior to 1993, that was the case. It was in that year that Grainger Hall first opened its doors, replacing space at the Commerce Building and Sterling Hall. Built with funding from David W. Grainger and The Grainger Foundation, Grainger Hall transformed a multi-use city block, pictured above, into a facility for innovative business education. The building’s west wing expansion opened in 2008.
Eckhardt Receives Funds to Study Innovation at Universities
Jon Eckhardt, executive director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship and an associate professor of management and human resources and the Robert W. Pricer Chair in Enterprise Development, received $425,000 in funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to study ways to improve how university entrepreneurial ecosystems can drive economic growth.
The funding will better inform policymakers seeking to build a fertile environment at universities for new and growing companies.
— Jon Eckhardt
New Partnership Benefits Future Health Care Leaders
The launch of a new partnership between WSB and the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy this fall offers pharmacy students sought-after business skills through a four-course concentration in Operation and Technology Management (OTM).
Students in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program can enroll in the Pharmacy OTM concentration, which offers students the opportunity to take MBA elective courses concurrently with the PharmD curriculum.
The program was carefully designed and structured around students’ needs, says Enno Siemsen, associate dean of the MBA and master’s programs and executive director of the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management.
“PharmD graduates get into management positions quickly in their careers. Their leadership drives change,” Siemsen says. “We connected with local health care professionals to understand which skills are necessary for these students to succeed, and chose the set of courses accordingly.”
The collaboration sets the stage for future cross-campus partnerships that could bring business education to professionals of many industries.
Homecoming Tradition Lives at Grainger Hall
Grainger Hall was ablaze with Badger pride once again for WSB’s Homecoming Bash.
The annual celebration is a chance for Business Badgers to gather, swap stories, and connect with Bucky. Badger fans had good reason to cheer this year, with the Wisconsin football team winning 49-20 over Illinois—even if they had to dodge a few snowflakes during the game! See more photos from the Bash.
Analyst Development Program Launches for Finance Majors
Ten of WSB’s top-performing undergraduate finance students are part of the inaugural cohort of the Nicholas Center Analyst Development Program for the 2018-19 academic year.
“Historically, the Nicholas Center has operated primarily as an MBA program,” says Brad Chandler, director of the Nicholas Center. “We decided to create the Analyst Development Program as a means of expanding the Center’s reach to undergraduate students. While the benefit to BBA students is obvious, I think it will help push the MBA students as well.”
THE PROGRAM’S GOALS ARE THREEFOLD:
- Train and nurture top talent
- Accelerate participants’ career development through mentorship and a practitioner-based curriculum
- Establish the program’s reputation with employers and potential students
