As UW–Madison celebrates its 175th anniversary, one word comes to my mind: discovery.
Since 1848, our university has been home to numerous discoveries and thousands of patents that have expanded the limits of human knowledge while enriching countless lives in the process.
Here at the Wisconsin School of Business, we cultivate our own culture of discovery, creating “aha” moments for students in the classroom while also developing new insights through research and hands-on learning. Truly, there’s something new discovered here every day!
But discoveries aren’t limited to campus. In fact, millions of individual discoveries are made daily across the globe thanks to technology, social media, and our own ingenuity. Just ask Danielle Tiedt, YouTube’s chief marketing officer, who helps users discover new ideas on the platform—and gives them the tools to positively impact their communities.
In this issue of Update, I hope you’ll make some discoveries of your own. You’ll meet alums like Nick Fetzer, whose own classroom epiphany led him to pursue mission driven work, and Shasparay Irvin, a performance artist and entrepreneur who is making waves on and off the stage. Dog lovers will also be delighted to discover a new canine friendly product created with help from Arek Schmocker.
Taken as a whole, I hope these stories represent for you a rediscovery—that is, the power of our Badger community to lead with purpose and change the world.
Here’s to another 175 years.
On, Wisconsin!
Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy
Albert O. Nicholas Dean
Wisconsin School of Business