College of Business
The UW Oshkosh College of Business (COB) is the only internationally accredited business school in the New North, an 18-county region covering nearly 25 percent of the state. The college has a long history of successes; curriculum and instructional staff that meet the rigorous standards for AACSB International accreditation; commitment to innovation and risk-taking; optimal location in the middle of the Fox River Valley, home to thousands of businesses; and a legacy of strong relationships with those businesses, allowing a blending of theory and practices through activities, internships, guest speakers and real-world projects. The college is large enough to offer a wide variety of majors and services but small enough to have small classes and strong faculty/student relationships.
Leadership
During the 2009-2010 academic year, the college experienced a change in leadership. In June 2010, William J. Tallon was appointed dean of the College of Business. Additionally, William Wresch was selected as associate dean for the College of Business, beginning January 1, 2011.
Partnership
In November 2010, the Holter Financial Group received the first payment of a $100,000/five-year grant to the College of Business for student professional development.
UW Oshkosh MBA Center in Green Bay: The college made great progress since classes began at the new center in January 2007. Marketing efforts and the center’s location have made a difference in student enrollments and program awareness. The site has a great floor plan and cutting-edge technology. Because of the location and conveniently scheduled classes, the facility opens the door for many professionals in northeastern Wisconsin to continue their education, even with their hectic family and work lives.
UW Oshkosh MBA Consortium: The College of Business operates in a consortium arrangement with UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse and UW-Parkside in offering an online MBA degree.The program serves students interested in a totally online MBA degree and provides online classes for students enrolled in residential graduate programs on each of the four campuses.The consortium program has grown to more than 400 total students over the past few years and is widely recognized for it efficient use of UW System resources in serving students.
College of Business Networking Night: On Sept. 22, 2010, the college, with the assistance of many regional businesses and UW Oshkosh Career Services, hosted its fifth-annual Business Networking Night at the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce. Nearly 800 undergraduate students and 175 professionals participated in the event. This event is a requirement for College of Business undergraduate students, helping to foster the development of students’ professional skills.
Wisconsin Financial Services Institute: The faculty of the institute partnered with Dalton Education to offer exam review courses for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. In late 2010, the Financial Planning Certificate program earned renewal from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
International agreements: During spring 2009, the College of Business entered two new agreements: one with a university in Ningbo China and another with Fachhochschule Osnabruck, a university in Fulda, Germany. Both agreements will involve faculty exchanges and student exchanges and internships.
Teaching
ETS exam results: The College of Business continues to measure the quality of graduating students on an ongoing basis. For the fifth consecutive year, MBA students scored in the top 5 percent on the Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) graduate business concepts exam.
Federal Reserve Challenge: The College Federal Reserve Challenge, which is held by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and by Choice Bank of Oshkosh, provided economics students the opportunity to experience Federal Reserve policy-making processes. A team of UW Oshkosh business students represented the College of Business at the competition in November in Chicago.
BIE Grant: The College of Business closed out the BIE grant on December 31, 2010. The two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Business and International Education program included a total of $126,000, which was matched with funds by the University and the college and a few outside partners, including partner universities in Osnabrueck, Germany, Ningbo, China, and Lima, Peru.This grant supported an annual international conference for businesses in northeastern Wisconsin, international exchange internships for students, international case development for classroom activities, and international exchanges for faculty and students.
Professional development for students: The college continued its expansion of activities and student policies intended to further enhance the professional development of students. Several special professional development seminars covering a variety of topics were held for MBA students and alumni. All undergraduate students are required to complete professional experience internships. Finally, new policies were developed requiring pre-business students to engage in a number of professional development experiences as a condition of entry into the College of Business.
New academic programs: As part of the University’s growth-financed initiatives, the college approved a new minor in insurance that will start admitting students in early 2010. In addition, the college planned for the addition of a new major in interactive web technology management that is anticipated to start admitting students in the 2010-2011 academic year.
Community
Small Business Success Awards: The College of Business, in partnership with Corporate Report Wisconsin and Associated Bank, hosted the fifth-annual Small Business Success Awards on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. The honorees, representing businesses from throughout the state of Wisconsin, included Advanced Laser Machining, Batzner Pest Management, Door Peninsula Winery, Elmstar Electric Corporation, Elysée Scientific Cosmetics, Kennedy Communications, Lagina Plumbing, Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats and Sanmina-SCI.
UW Oshkosh College of Business Alumni Dinner: On Feb. 20, the college and its alumni association hosted 165 attendees at the annual college alumni dinner at the Performing Arts Center in Appleton.The college honored two outstanding alumni (Tom Belot, BBA ’73, and MBA ‘78 and Rebecca Nash MBA ’02 and MSIS ‘05, of Ameriprise Auto andHome Insurance in Green Bay) and one outstanding faculty member (Ronald Marks).
Junior Achievement Business Challenge: During the spring, the college partnered with Junior Achievement and several regional businesses to sponsor and participate in the JA Oshkosh Business Challenge on the UW Oshkosh campus. About 100 students from high schools throughout northeastern Wisconsin competed in business simulation games for fun, prizes and scholarships.
Click here to read last year's report.
