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Alumni in Action

Business Casual: May 2025

An informal but informative newsletter for WSB alumni and friends

By Wisconsin School of Business | Photography by Paul L. Newby II

May 19, 2025

Akik Aziz shows his project to Michelle Somes-Booher during the Technology Exploration Lab open house
During an open house on April 24, students like Akik Aziz (BS ’25) showcased their semester-long projects at UW–Madison’s Tech Exploration Lab. A collaboration between WSB and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the lab allows students to partner with industry professionals on real-world problems with AI, augmented reality, and other emerging technologies across disciplines. Photo by Paul L. Newby II

The Briefing

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WSB hosts national consulting case competition at Grainger Hall
Students from the nation’s top undergraduate business schools demonstrated their consulting skills in April at the inaugural Wisconsin Invitational Consulting Case Competition. Eighteen teams from nine schools participated in the two-day competition, with a team from WSB taking home the top prize. During the event, students also had the opportunity to build connections with employers at prestigious consulting firms like Accenture and Bain & Company.

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WSB’s Anyi Ma examines the relationship between clothes and identity
What do your clothes say about you? According to Anyi Ma, an assistant professor of management and human resources at WSB, maybe more than you think. Ma, whose research interests closely align with the concept of dress, shares key findings and tips from her exploration into the transformative power of what we wear. One takeaway suggests dressing in a way that matches the mindset you want to embody. If you want to feel more focused, calm, creative, or confident—your outfit is a great place to start.

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New digital dashboard provides students with a powerful career planning tool
Designed for current and prospective undergraduate students, the interactive dashboard uses employment data from WSB graduates to show successful outcomes across industries. The tool applies insights like major and average base salary to inform a student’s decision-making process, allowing them to see the actual data that matches up with each business pathway. The new dashboard joins the existing career pathway exploration quiz, creating a comprehensive system for career search and planning.

The Ticker

  • Experiential learning gets a boost on Day of the Badger: On April 8–9, more than 300 donors came together to raise over $145,000 for experiential learning at WSB, which will increase student access to job shadows, career treks, and case competitions.
  • Ranking high in 2025: WSB climbed to #7 among public universities in Poets&Quants’ 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs in the U.S. Additionally, WSB’s full-time MBA program ranked #17 among public universities in the U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Graduate School rankings.
  • Business Badgers take flight: WSB’s finance and investment banking major took the #1 spot for UW–Madison majors with the highest study abroad participation during the 2023-24 academic year, with marketing and real estate also landing in the top ten!
  • WSB in HBR: Research from WSB’s Jan Heide (MBA ’82, PhD ’87) on information leakage and consultant espionage was recently featured in Harvard Business Review.
  • Snapshots from San Fran: Check out highlights from WSB’s Bay Area event, where an esteemed panel of leaders and entrepreneurs shared their journeys of innovation and learning through failure.
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Back to School

Caps off to WSB’s Newest Alumni!

As the school welcomes another class into Business Badger alumnihood, you may be reflecting on your own graduation from WSB. Whether you accepted your diploma at Camp Randall Stadium, had your name projected on the side of Grainger Hall, celebrated your degree from across the globe, or something in between, the tradition of graduation is one that defines each and every WSB alum.

On May 9, WSB undergraduate students gathered at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, a special WSB event in advance of the campuswide celebration at Camp Randall Stadium, to forge their own memories and traditions with friends, family, and fellow Business Badgers. Here are a few quick facts about this year’s graduating class:

  • Over 1,000 students make up the graduating cohort for the 2024-25 academic year, with over 850 students graduating this spring
  • Graduates hail from 10 countries and 33 states
  • Finance and investment banking was the most popular major, making up about 40% of the graduating cohort

View photos from the BBA Graduation Celebration to experience that graduation feeling all over again!

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Tip Sheet

Marketing in the Age of AI

There’s no question about it: AI is here to stay, meaning today’s professionals must learn how to navigate and leverage this rapidly evolving technology to improve businesses operations.

Matt Seitz, director of WSB’s AI Hub for Business and former director of retail performance at Google, shared AI insights at the 2024 Marketing Summit. During the talk, he identified three AI trends that marketers and other business professionals should keep in mind.

  1. Take advantage of new offerings: Seitz explains that integrated, AI-driven tools help simplify tasks like media buying, campaign management, and more.
  2. Optimize your performance with AI: With advanced AI technology comes new and better ways to market products and improve existing processes. If your organization is not using AI, you’re inevitably falling behind, says Seitz.
  3. Seek balance when using AI for your creative: Seitz advises organizations to consider their risk tolerance and make a thoughtful, intentional decision about using AI for image, video, and other creative assets.

Curious to learn more? Check out Seitz’s key recommendations for marketers and subscribe to his LinkedIn newsletter: ExplAIn it like I’m busy.

Alumni Opportunities

June 26: Register now for Talking Tech in the Twin Cities, an event where local experts will outline the skills, mindsets, and business insights you’ll need to lead in a tech-driven society.

June 28: Save the date! Join WSB at American Family Field to connect with fellow alumni—and enjoy a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game!

You’ve got mail: Keep an eye out for the latest issue of Update magazine, which publishes in late June.

Quasquicentennial events: To celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary, WSB will host events in Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, and the Twin Cities this fall, as well as a global toast on December 5 to unite Business Badgers worldwide. Keep an eye out for more details to come!

Subscribe now: Stay current on the groundbreaking research and teaching excellence of WSB faculty through the new Leading the Way newsletter on LinkedIn.

About Business Casual

Every other month, alumni and friends of the Wisconsin School of Business will receive insider updates with news about our alumni, faculty, students, and programs. If you want to share Business Casual with friends, they can sign up at go.wisc.edu/wsb-biz-cas.

Questions or comments? Email businesscasual@wsb.wisc.edu

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