In a word, Michael Knetter is impatient.

When he took the reins of the UW-Madison Business School nearly three years ago, he made improving the quality and reputation of the school’s graduate program his top priority.

While the school had long been highly regarded in a handful of academic specialties – including securities analysis, real estate and arts administration – those programs were seen as bright spots in an otherwise solidly second-tier graduate program. The discrepancy was even more striking because the school’s undergraduate program is routinely ranked among the best in the nation.