UW-Platteville designates School of Business

Ullsvik Hall

To better reflect how well the University of Wisconsin-Platteville serves its business-related undergraduate and graduate students, the university has officially declared a new School of Business. The designation was approved at the UW System Board of Regents meeting earlier this month.

“It’s beyond the complexity of a department,” said Dr. Wayne Weber, dean of the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture. “With two undergraduate programs and four online master’s programs, the term department just didn’t fit. This more accurately reflects what we are doing.”

Previously, the university had a business and accounting department. The new School of Business will better recognize all the business-related classes, majors, minors and graduate programs under one area. The School of Business houses 950 business administration and accounting majors, with approximately 670 on-campus and the rest either in print-based or online programs. Another 680 graduate students are seeking online master’s degrees.

“Moving from a department to a school really communicates the breadth of who we are,” said Dr. Susan Hansen, whose title changed from department head to school director. “There’s much more than just an undergraduate degree in accounting and an undergraduate degree in business administration in this unit.”

A grand opening celebration is being planned for May 6, 2014 in Ullsvik Hall.

The School of Business gives UW-Platteville three such programs, joining the School of Education and School of Agriculture.

“The designation as a School of Business will enable UW-Platteville to remain competitive in attracting talented students as this nomenclature communicates our commitment to offering an affordable high-quality business education,” said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “Moreover, this new brand identity will help build and leverage business relationships locally, nationally and internationally. Ultimately, the end result allows our university to further engage our students through solid methodology and hands-on learning opportunities that will prepare them for a globalized workforce.”

On-campus undergraduate degrees are offered in accounting and business administration, with emphases in finance, general business, human resource management, management, sales and marketing communications, integrated supply chain and international business. Minors are offered in accounting and business administration.

Online or print-based undergraduate degrees are offered in business administration, with online master’s degrees available in project management, integrated supply chain management, organizational change leadership and distance education leadership. UW-Platteville Distance Education is in its 36th year of providing flexible programs designed to fit adult students’ busy lifestyles. UW-Platteville Distance Education was voted the third-best in the nation for business administration degree programs by “Create-A-Career” this week.

“The business and accounting faculty have a long history of leading the academic efforts for programs offered at a distance. They have been instrumental in helping develop the three new online master’s programs that launched over the past two years,” said Dawn Drake, executive director, UW-Platteville Alternative Delivery Systems. “This expertise and commitment to distance education has been extremely helpful as we move forward with other new online programs and distance education initiatives. The School of Business designation is more inclusive of both the undergraduate and graduate programs that are now a part of this entity.”

“Not only does the university offer a wide variety of courses, but we have an extremely knowledgeable and experienced faculty and staff who spend many hours in and out of the classroom using high-impact practices,” said Dr. Mittie N. Den Herder, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “UW-Platteville students, both undergraduate and graduate, are well prepared for the complexities of today’s business world because of the innovative methods our faculty demonstrate.”

Founded in 1866, UW-Platteville serves more than 8,600 students with 42 majors and 71 minors. The campus encompasses 821 acres with 20 academic buildings, 12 residence halls and a 400-acre educational and research farm.