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Alumni in Action

Donor Support Strengthens Corporate Partnerships and More

Donor Digest: Q3 2024

By Alumni Relations | Photography by Paul L. Newby II

September 25, 2024

The Donor Digest

WSB adds new faculty members

Six new faculty members across four departments joined the Wisconsin School of Business this fall. These thought leaders—who bring expertise in topics like financial reporting, cybersecurity, and the sharing economy—further enhance the depth and scope of the school’s academic excellence. WSB faculty members are also featured in the latest phase of the Trusted to Lead campaign, which showcases the power of research to address the most pressing matters and issues faced by businesses and society today.

New position aims to strengthen WSB’s corporate partnerships

Bennett Cole has been named executive director of industry relations at WSB. This new position is charged with building and deepening WSB’s ties with a variety of companies to understand their goals, get to know the challenges they face, and identify mutually beneficial partnerships. This appointment comes as the school works to further embed experiential learning opportunities across all educational programs. Cole previously served as finance program director at WSB, and was responsible for program development, teaching, corporate engagement, and student mentoring.

Undergraduate program launches new courses and major

This month, WSB began the rollout of four new undergraduate courses designed to sharpen students’ technological, ethical, and leadership skills. The new courses include Sustainable Capitalism, Human Centered Design and Business, Cloud Based Analytics, and Integrated Strategic Leadership. Undergraduate students also have a new major to choose from: entrepreneurship. Classes in the new major prioritize the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and traits like curiosity, ambition, and creativity.

McKinsey workshop provides students with applied learning in AI strategy

During an interactive workshop at Grainger Hall, consulting firm McKinsey & Company provided WSB graduate students with hands-on experience creating marketing strategies using generative AI tools. The workshop also included a panel discussion on how companies can build and deploy AI to drive value, solve problems, and create efficiencies. The partnership with McKinsey highlights WSB’s continued investment in the AI space and the school’s long history of collaborating with corporate partners to provide innovative applied-learning experiences for students.

Wisconsin School of Business graduate students at a generative AI workshop
Students Erin Anderson, Sarah Kirchner, Younjoo Lee, Gayeon Lee, and Kathleen Wade share their thoughts about the use of AI during an applied-learning workshop with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company on Feb. 9, 2024.

The Donor Digest is a quarterly round-up of stories about the impact of gifts to the Wisconsin School of Business (WSB) Fund. Contributions to WSB help the school implement transformative learning experiences and curricula that uniquely prepare students for post-graduation success. Read past stories about donor impact and the power of philanthropy.


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