A new era of lifelong learning is underway at the Wisconsin School of Business.
The school is conducting a series of pilot programs to assess lifelong learning needs among alumni and develop resources to meet those needs.
Lifelong learning can be defined as a continuous curiosity to learn new things and advance professionally—and through the new program, WSB aims to offer learners easy access to quality content and career-boosting knowledge. Led by Sandra Bradley (MS ’90), director of the lifelong learning initiative, the new programming reinforces a powerful message: Your relationship with WSB continues long after graduation—and the school is with you throughout your entire career.
Building on WSB’s current portfolio of post-graduate resources and professional development opportunities, the initiative combines several key priorities to meet the needs of today’s professionals. “These opportunities create spaces for lasting curiosity and creativity, provide resources for career advancement, and foster new communities of learning and growth for alumni,” says Bradley.
“These opportunities create spaces for lasting curiosity and creativity, provide resources for career advancement, and foster new communities of learning and growth for alumni.”
—Sandra Bradley (MS ’90)
In February 2024, the first short-course pilot was led by Cody Baldwin, director of WSB’s Master’s in Business Analytics program. An initial test group of alumni learned about data storytelling through a series of short videos delivered via email, a live Zoom webinar, and a Q&A session.
The second pilot took place in April 2024 and was taught by Alan Stoffer (MBA ’13), incoming director of WSB’s Marketing Leadership Institute. Adopting a similar format as the first pilot, this short course focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and included an industry-specific breakout room component. With over 120 participants in attendance and a 97% completion rate for the short video component, the results of the pilot were overwhelmingly positive.
“I learned a lot about the evolution of AI, the available tools, and how it can be applied to various aspects of work and daily life,” says Kelsey (Sweeney) Breslau (BBA ’10), a pilot participant and senior director of marketing for the SAP Midwest region. “An extremely valuable aspect of this program was the peer roundtable interaction that allowed us to delve further into the application of AI.”
Participants also valued the program format and content presentation. “What I liked most about the course was the brevity of the sessions,” says Tim Bratland (BBA ’89), president of Crystal Farms Dairy Company. “For five days, I received a brief YouTube video that was very easy to consume. At the end of the five sessions, I attended a live Q&A Zoom session where I could ask more questions, interact with other course participants, and get additional information on AI resources from UW–Madison. Because of this course, my organization is investigating a few areas where AI might make sense.”
Subsequent pilots experimented with alternative formats and explored other topics of interest, like building and managing high-performing teams, as well as developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Bradley is committed to presenting topics that are timely, relevant, and cutting-edge to benefit alumni in virtually any industry or business sector.
Given the fast-paced lifestyles of many alumni, she also pays special attention to format while crafting the pilots. “By delivering on-demand content that is both convenient and accessible, participants don’t have to forsake their current responsibilities for an opportunity to learn something new or grow their career,” says Bradley.
As she continues to conduct additional pilots and build out the programming, Bradley is focused on some key components that will set both alumni—and the school—up for success. “Lifelong learning is an opportunity for alumni to gain new connections and knowledge while WSB grows its reputation as a leader in this space,” she says. “We do this by delivering trustworthy content, presenting trends and thought leadership, and cultivating strong alumni communities.”
Bradley says the future of lifelong learning at WSB is one of immense potential and opportunity. While serving the WSB alumni community is the top priority, the school also plans to extend these opportunities to other UW–Madison alumni, individuals from the Universities of Wisconsin system, and beyond.
“We’d like to position the school as the preferred industry partner, leader, and innovator in this space,” says Bradley. “Through continuous testing, learning, and innovating, we’re well on our way to creating a world-class platform for lifelong learning.”