May 2020
Hello friends,
This has been a spring to remember! Just before spring break, UW-Madison’s leadership wisely decided to “go online” for the rest of the semester, considering the COVID-19 outbreak. Most campus events were canceled. Others, such as graduation, went virtual.
Regardless, we started a couple of new initiatives this spring. One was Friday Workshops, in which alumni provided their expertise into a topic. Please let us know if you are interested in expanding our students’ knowledge through a Friday afternoon workshop through a topic of mutual interest for next year. It would be wonderful to plan far in advance.
Also this spring, gift funds allowed us to take students on an industry visit to the Milwaukee Brewers and Quad (formerly Quad Graphics). This was our first site visit in years, and it was incredibly valuable to learn directly from C-suite officers. Please consider donating to our SHRM Program Fund so that we can plan a visit next year. Your small gifts add up to big learning.
This newsletter elaborates on the topics above, and more. We hope you enjoy reading it and reminiscing about your days at the Wisconsin School of Business.
Together Forward!
The Strategic Human Resource Management Specialization
Student Life
A Visit with Milwaukee Brewers and Quad
Our Center’s students and staff were thrilled to spend a day visiting with HR VPs from the Milwaukee Brewers and Quad (Graphics) earlier this semester. Read student Olivia Liu’s blog post.
SHR MBA Program Nationally Ranked
We are proud to share that our intentionally small SHR specialization ranks tenth nationally according to The Princeton Review!
An Unexpected Spring Break Trip to Online Instruction
Everyone at UW-Madison took an extended bring break this year that lasted the rest of the semester. Read how it impacted our students.
SHR Students Excel at Applied Projects
Like most things this semester, students ended their applied learning projects online. HR Capstone instructor Tracy Nelson writes about the rich experiences that our students gained.
Placement Update
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The pandemic has influenced our students’ placement, and we hope you can help.
- One second-year student who requires sponsorship is still seeking full-time placement.
- Three first-year students are seeking internships. Realizing these placements will likely be virtual, the students are willing to accept short-term (even two-week) projects. Unpaid positions will also be considered, as long as students are learning and growing in the field. Do you have something–anything–that you can offer?
Please send opportunities to Betsy Golomski, Assistant Director of the MBA Career Management Center. We sincerely appreciate your help in providing meaningful experiences for our students.
Alumni Participation in Student Learning
Executive Compensation from an Exequity Expert
Alumnus Ben Burney (’08) kicked off our first Friday Workshop with a detailed explanation of the considerations involved with executive compensation.
HR in Times of Crisis
Three alumni agreed to a last-minute Friday Workshop that helped to fill the void from the canceled HR Summit. Mark Esselman, Jordana Kammerud, and Jessica Warmington engaged our students with their stories of managing HR situations around the coronavirus pandemic.
Send your Life Changes. This will be the place to share your new career, international placement, certification, accomplishment, family member, retirement, wedding—you get the idea. Please email your Life Changes to Linda Barrett, Assistant Director of the SHR Center, and send a photo if you have one!
Sharing Knowledge to Enhance Practice
Faculty of the Management and Human Resources Department have wide and deep research interests. A few recent media mentions include the following:
Starting a Business in Retirement: Using a Lawyer – Jon Eckhardt, Forbes
Charge Up Your Creativity with Dr. Phil Greenwood – Phil Greenwood, NBC 15
Keeping Workers Safe in a Pandemic – Jirs Meuris, WORT
How Many of Your Employees Live Paycheck to Paycheck? – Jirs Meuris, HR Daily Advisor
Casper’s Tough IPO Sell: Convincing Investors that It Owns Sleep – Hart Posen, Forbes
Some Retailers May Not Make It out of Coronavirus Pandemic – Hart Posen, WTMJ
The Feeling You Get After Surviving Layoffs Has a Name – Charlie Trevor, HuffPost
Interested in Giving Back?
There are various valuable ways to stay connected to your Wisconsin MBA program.
- Mentor, talk, or mock interview. Let a current student benefit from your experience! (Distance technology is always an option.) Contact Linda Barrett, Assistant Director of SHRM Center, if you are willing to volunteer as a mentor, you would facilitate a Friday Workshop on a topic of mutual interest, or you are available in September or October to mock interview students.
- Hire a badger. Our students’ MBA experience includes a professional internship between their first and second years. If you are interested in recruiting HR badgers for internships or full-time positions, contact Betsy Golomski, Assistant Director of the MBA Career Management Center.
- Make a financial gift. We are making positive changes to ensure the development of our students, including industry visits, workshops, and SHRM-CP certification prep. Honestly, every dollar helps. Please consider donating to our SHR Program Fund or the WSB general fund. Thank you!
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