Wisconsin’s Business School Bets On A Novel MBA Approach

CHANGES FACULTY RECRUITING

The KDBIN model has, however, altered how the school recruits potential faculty members, says Ortalo-Magné. New hires are vetted for cultural fit and buy-in. “We want people who are going to be great in research and great in the classroom.” In his estimation, KDBIN enhances recruiting. “It helps you get the right people in who buy into the vision.”

While KDBIN hasn’t transformed student recruitment, the school claims that it increases students’ chances for big success. According to Hunter, the school deliberately seeks out “diamonds in the rough.” “We take people who are… fully capable of being on the fast track. Between the alumni network, the things we teach them, the experiences we bring them, the internships they land, they are saying to themselves, wait a minute, I can go anywhere and do this – and they can.”

In doing so, the university also cultivates future sources of networking, expertise, and inspiration for the program says Hunter. “If we’ve done our job in inspiring them to reach these outcomes and taught them enough to reach them, they become part of this community and stay part of it.”

SPECIALIZATION DRAWS STUDENTS…AND EMPLOYERS

At first glance, Wisconsin may seem like your typical Midwestern program. The full-time MBA program enrolls roughly 200 full-time students. Boasting a 29% acceptance rate, the class of 2016 carries a 670 median GMAT, with the majority enjoying assistance that can cover tuition, health insurance, and stipends. Like many full-time programs, Wisconsin prides itself on its small classes and high touch intimacy. And it sits within walking distance of the state capital. Once derided as “77 square miles surrounded by reality,” Madison styles itself after Austin, balancing a vibrant cultural scene with a burgeoning technology hub. “[It has] all the big city amenities without all the headaches,” jokes Will Wait, the director of admissions.

While KDBIN may be Wisconsin’s signature someday, their biggest attraction is early specialization. To help students accelerate their development, first years can take classes in one of 10 specialties during first semester. In fact, candidates are required to choose a specialization when they apply to the school. “[Our students] have very clear career goals from day 1.” Wait notes. “And they get to go very deep into their specialization.”

This approach dates back a dozen years according to Hunter. Back then, the school noticed that students who participated in knowledge centers early had the best placement success. As a result, the school began investing more heavily into candidates who were ready to jump into a career specialization.

SOLID, HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE STATS FOR THE SCHOOL’S MBA PROGRAM

Thus far, promoting specializations early has worked, with 95% of the Class of 2014 receiving offers within three months of graduation (which averaged $90,000-$100,000, excluding signing bonuses). To reinforce the point, Sanford cites a conversation with an MBA recruiting manager at Nestle Purina where two students interned a few years ago. “She told me that [they] didn’t need to spend the summer convincing our students that [consumer products brand management] was the right function and the right industry. Your students knew what they wanted…It was really more about spending our time showing them the culture of our company and how we do our business.”

This approach also makes recruiting easier on employers, adds Sanford. “Our top hiring companies – P&G, General Mills, Kimberly Clark – they really like how they can focus their recruiting efforts and they know what they’re getting. [Here]…they can get 20 of the people who really want their job…They’ll still get the yield that they’d get at a much larger school and they won’t need to interview near as many people. We’re actually gaining employers,” she adds. “It’s still a strong, active part of our campus.”

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND THE CORPORATE WORLD

Employers are also actively involved in the school’s curriculum. Their ten specialties come with separate advisory boards comprised of vice presidents or higher from companies like Harley-Davidson, Oracle, and Johnson & Johnson. Fluent in KDBIN, these boards meet on campus once or more per year. During these sessions, students interact with board members and present before them. This creates, in Wait’s words, “a virtuous cycle of internships and jobs.”

While KDBIN has still in its infancy, it is already attracting attention, says Ortalo-Magné, from “colleges within the UW System and all the way up to our Provost Office within the UW-Madison.” In the coming years, Ortalo-Magné is hoping to leave a larger footprint. When asked about what success would look like, he wasn’t shy in sharing his ambitions.

“We started the movement,” he says.

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