OBE’s Spring 2023 Update

OBE keeps you up to date through our quarterly e-newsletter; here’s the Spring 2023 version. Subscribe here – or forward this newsletter to yourself or a friend.

In memoriam: Chancellor Emerita Rebecca M. Blank

Rebecca M. Blank, an economist, administrator, and educator who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison for nine years, died of cancer Feb. 17. The community remembered her in a memorial service on March 4 and in online tributes.

Industry partnerships take center stage at UW Board of Regents meeting

At February’s UW System Board of Regents meeting, UW­–Madison campus leaders and partners highlighted the university’s work engaging industry. Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin shared success stories and areas for future growth in her opening presentation.

Later, a panel of business leaders and entrepreneurs detailed the benefits of working closely with UW–Madison, including breakthrough R & D that transcends the quarterly earning cycle. Moderated by College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean Glenda Gillaspy, the panel featured the real-world insights of George W. Huber, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and co-founder of two startups; Lisa Johnson, CEO of BioForward Wisconsin; Dan Kelly, chief underwriting officer at American Family Insurance; and Tom Westrick, GE Healthcare’s president and CEO of patient care solutions. Find out more.

OBE to sponsor March 20 Wisconsin Tech Summit

The Office of Business Engagement is the official lunch sponsor of the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Wisconsin Tech Summit, which builds relationships between major firms and emerging companies in the sector. Managing director John Garnetti will present information about OBE at the March 20 event, to be held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Other partnership stories:

• UniverCity Year partners with nine communities in 2023
• UW alumni in South Korea to spread the word on Wisconsin opportunities
• Public-private partnership to improve seed potato production in Wisconsin

Find out more about partnering with UW–Madison.

Fixing the future

All across campus, UW–Madison faculty and researchers are working to actively build a better future. The “Future Issue” of UW–Madison’s alumni magazine On Wisconsin features breakthroughs that will improve life for all of us, from tailored therapeutics to artificial intelligence.

Computer science capstone course a win-win for students, industry partners

The Computer Sciences Capstone Course taught each fall by Amber Field, vice-president of software development at Singlewire Software and Badger alum, exemplifies the collaborations that prepare students for career success. In its third year, 93 students built marketable skills by solving real-world problems for six industry partners. Contact us for information on participating in the fall 2023 course.

Engineering project supports adaptive exercise

A group of Biomedical Engineering students are working with fitness manufacturer Johnson Health Tech to make existing rowing machines more accessible for people who use wheelchairs. Read about their ongoing partnership.

More stories of innovation at UW–Madison:

• Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center: Could fuel from plants replace petroleum?
• Nuclear and solar combo could be a powerful pair
• Why quantum computers need some “wiggle room”

Find out how OBE helps connect businesses like yours with UW–Madison research and technology.

Badgers are in demand

New University of Wisconsin–Madison graduates have great success in the job market, with 71 percent of those seeking jobs getting an offer by the time they graduated in 2021-22. Students’ success reflects their hard work and achievement as well as the university’s commitment to preparing students with the skills that employers need. Read about how the Wisconsin School of Business, School of Nursing and College of Engineering prepare their students to land their first jobs.

Related: Successworks helps translate student majors into careers

Career fairs connect employers with UW–Madison talent

SAVE THE DATE: Registration is open for the final career fair of the spring semester, the all-campus Virtual Fair on Monday, April 3, 2023, 3:00 – 5:00 pm.

Keep tabs on our Career Events page for upcoming career fairs, held each spring and fall, and find out more about connecting with UW–Madison students and recent graduates.

Workforce trends fuel UW–Madison’s fastest-growing majors

UW–Madison’s academic offerings reflect changing times and employers’ specialized needs. Here are the ten undergraduate majors on campus that added the most students between fall 2018 and fall 2022. (Hint: #1 rhymes with “beta giants.”)

UW partners with Deloitte on foundational career training program

Through SuccessWorks at the College of Letters and Science, UW–Madison is the first higher education institution in Wisconsin to provide access to Deloitte’s Future of Work Institute. This micro-certification offers undergraduates training in the critical thinking skills needed in a world of increasing change. Find out more.

Wisconsin School of Business’s Binnu Palta Hill discusses DEI in business education

Binnu Palta Hill, chief diversity and inclusion officer at the Wisconsin School of Business, was the first guest on a new podcast series focused on diversity in business education. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that the next generation of leaders can operate in a diverse world and know how to use those skills to make better business decisions,” Hill says. Find out more and listen to the podcast.

• Monday, March 20, Green Bay: The Wisconsin Tech Summit is built around pre-planned meetings between large companies and emerging companies with innovative products or services, connected devices, data analytics, power electronics and more.

• Wednesdays between March 22 and April 19, Grainger Hall: The School of Business offers the Distinguished Entrepreneurs Lunch Program, an opportunity to hear success stories from local experts over lunch.

• Thursday, May 25, 8:30 am to 1:00 pm, virtual: Join the UW E-Business Consortium for the second annual Wisconsin Digital Symposium. This free half-day virtual program, open to all, will explore ways to address the practical and urgent challenges of digital transformation and the volatile business environment.

• August 6-8, UW-Oshkosh: Hundreds of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs from across the University of Wisconsin System will convene at the SPARK Symposium for networking and a showcase of faculty and student research.

• Wednesday, April 12, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Union South: UW–Madison’s Administrative Professionals Conference will feature sessions on career management, leadership, wellness, and other valuable skills.
• Tuesday, June 6, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Union South: UW–Madison’s Women and Leadership Symposium brings together engaged professionals for networking, professional development, learning from women leaders, and sharing of best practices.
• The Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional and Executive Development can give you and your organization tools to face future challenges with confidence through their courses and certificates, including a Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• The Division of Continuing Studies offers a wide variety of flexible courses and  professional degrees and certificates online, hybrid, and in-person.
• The UW E-Business Consortium and Engineering Professional Development are now part of Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro), which provides a portfolio of future-focused professional education programs and services for engineers, managers, technical professionals and partner organizations.

Contact us to learn more about how OBE can connect you with the university’s talent solutions, professional development resources, research and technology, or opportunities for strategic investment.