UW-Madison and other UW System schools may receive grants or funding for job-related initiatives if a new bill introduced by Senate Democrats makes it to the floor in the next legislative session.
Category: Business/Technology
SLACâ??s love-hate affair with UW
Two days after chastising Chancellor Biddy Martin for a change in policy regarding campus workers, the University of Wisconsin Student Labor Action Coalition presented her with a homemade cake in gratitude for her recent standoff with Nike over the compensation of workers; however, she was unable to share in the festivities.
‘Professor’ scams real estate agent
A “professor” looking to rent a residence in Madison duped a real estate agent out of thousands of dollars using an old, but apparently still workable, check scam.
Madison police said the unidentified real estate agent lost over $3,500 to the scammer before she smelled a rat.
Wis. Senate Democrats unveil job-creation proposal (AP)
Noted: One part of the proposal announced Monday would spend $2 million to increase partnerships between businesses and the University of Wisconsin. It would also increase tax credits for those who invest in startup companies and create a new one for businesses that pay university or technical college tuition for their low-income employees.
Wis. Senate Democrats unveil job-creation plan
Democrats who control the Wisconsin state Senate have unveiled a proposal they say will help create and retain jobs and businesses and improve worker education and training. One part of the proposal announced Monday would spend $2 million to increase partnerships between businesses and the University of Wisconsin.
Forum addresses need to raise labor standards
UW-Madison officials held a workshop Friday to explore methods of improving labor standards around the world.
Campus e-mail alleges fraudulent repair activity
A cautionary e-mail sent to medical and biochemistry researchers last week, prompted by missing equipment, has accused a private microscope service representative of fraudulent behavior, though the representative claims he has done nothing of the sort.
Executive Q&A: Monty Schiro — Food Fight growing as opportunities arise
The restaurant industry has seen declines nationally because of the down economy, but Monty Schiro’s Food Fight group, with 10 restaurants in the Madison area, has found economical ways to grow. Schiro is a UW-Madison graduate.
Hammes Co. details plans for Edgewater hotel development
The UW-Madison Real Estate Department held a listening session Thursday to allow students and community members a chance to view the latest Edgewater Hotel redesign plans.
Students hear new design plans for Edgewater Hotel
Hammes Company held an informational meeting at the Pyle Center Thursday night where students were presented with the revised proposal of the Edgewater Hotel.
Madison-based JumperPhone offers plug-and-play system
A Madison company says it has developed a better way to keep in touch with friends and family in other countries. JumperTel Communications says its “plug and play” phone system is inexpensive and easy to use. JumperTel says. Of the seven company founders, all but one are UW-Madison graduates, and executives for the company’s investor, Optimo Investments, an investment firm in Abu Dhabi, are UW grads.
Dick Murphy: Student papers wrong to push boycott of Gritty
Dear Editor: It would seem to me the people at the two student newspapers responsible for the attempted boycott of the Nitty Gritty would be able to use their college education to evaluate a situation in its entirety.
In the 1960s and â??70s (before the boycott sponsors were a twinkle in their fathersâ?? eyes) the owner of the Nitty Gritty was the host of an extremely popular local childrenâ??s TV program, and later Madisonâ??s No. 1 rated TV sportscaster. He then purchased a run-down bar at Frances and West Johnson streets and built it into one of Madisonâ??s most respected eating establishments.
Doyle’s youth insurance request a healthy step
Last Thursday, Gov. Jim Doyle sent out an executive order clarifying an existing statute on health insurance to young adults. This would allow citizens in their 20â??s to be covered under their parentsâ?? health-care plan starting January 1 next year. Any Wisconsin resident would be eligible if you are between 17 and 27 years of age, unmarried, and either not eligible for health coverage through your employer or your premium contribution is more than the amount your parents would pay to add you to their plan. Currently, only childless full-time students can stay in their parents plan till the age of 25. But with the passage of this new policy, potentially 100,000 young adults in Wisconsin could benefit.
New law requires health insurance for young adults
A new law will go into effect in January 2010 that requires all young adults up to age 27 to receive coverage from their parentsâ?? health insurance policy, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Thursday.
Bill could offer aid for studentsâ?? tuition costs
The Wisconsin Assemblyâ??s Committee on Colleges and Universities heard and unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that offers incentives in the way of tax deductions to those helping pay college studentsâ?? tuition.
SHIP amends policies to carry self-inflicted injury
The Student Health Insurance Plan corrected its exclusion clause Thursday night after realizing expenses acquired from self-inflicted injury were not covered under the plan.
Cover Story: ON A MISSION (Capital Region Business Journal)
Quoted: Sachin Tuli, co-director of International Programs and a lecturer in the UW-Madison School of Business.
State Street businesses get boost from Freakfest
With Halloween and the annual Freakfest celebration quickly approaching, businesses along State Street have been anticipating the rush of excess customers, as well as the potential for disorderly conduct.
Chat Transcript: Wisconsin Admissions
The Wisconsin School of Business (Wisconsin Full-Time MBA Profile), a second-tier MBA program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, takes a nontraditional approach to teaching management. Students sign up to study career tracks rather than majors or concentrations. Brand management, applied securities, marketing research, and entrepreneurship are among the most popular specializations, says Erin L. C. Nickelsburg (ELCNickelsburg), director of admissions and recruitment for Wisconsinâ??s full-time MBA program. Entrepreneurship recently got a boost because more students become interested in the area during an economic downturn, she adds.
Laptop City Hall: Fight over alcohol committee representative brewing among students
In one of the only examples Iâ??ve seen of collaboration between UW-Madisonâ??s Badger Herald and Daily Cardinal student newspapers, both papers put out an editorial today calling on students to boycott the Nitty Gritty. Yes, the Nitty Gritty — where you can get free soda/beer and a small sundae on your birthday, and thereby one of the most popular downtown bars.
What was the cause of this call to arms? Nitty Gritty owner Marsh Shapiro, the non-voting Tavern League of Wisconsin representative on the cityâ??s Alcohol License Review Committee, came out strongly against an initiative from Ald. Bryon Eagon to add a permanent, voting student member to the committee.
Biz Beat: Wisconsinmade.com earns raves in national magazine
Who says Wisconsin suffers from a shortage of go-getters with good ideas?
Not U.S. News and World report, which features Linda Remeschatis, in its October issue. Remeschatis is owner of wisconsinmade.com.
The University of Wisconsin is also recognized by U.S. News and World Report as an excellent resource for people starting businesses.
Bar sues UW Board of Regents
The company that owns Brothers Bar & Grill filed a lawsuit against the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Tuesday, alleging unfair condemnation procedures over their location at 704 University Ave.
UW Officials Defend Decision To Condemn Madison Bar (AP)
MADISON, Wis. — Officials with the University of Wisconsin System are defending its decision to condemn a Madison bar as part of a plan to build a $43 million music performance hall.
The owners of Brothers Bar & Grill on Tuesday sued the UW System Board of Regents, seeking to stop the condemnation and keep the bar theyâ??ve operated for 15 years.
UW ranks third among research universities
UW-Madison ranks third in the nation as one of the top research universities, according to new statistics from the National Science Foundation. UW-Madison ranked behind Johns Hopkins University and the University of California at San Francisco.
UW cash 3rd in nation
The University of Wisconsin announced another jump in research expenditures this year â?? as well as the earning of another top three national ranking for research institutions â??amid contentious talks about the proposal to significantly restructure the graduate program.
UW proves a life boat for construction industry
The UW-Madison has been named “Developer of the Year” by Wisconsin Builder magazine.
The university is in the middle of its biggest building boom since the 1960s, with the new Union South, Chazen Museum of Art expansion and the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, among other projects.
Much of the work was laid out in the 2005 Master Plan for upgrading campus buildings. Some historic structures are being renovated while 1960s-era buildings characterized by poor construction and excessive energy use are being replaced.
Wisconsin Builderâ??s honor is a deserving one for UW-Madison, reflecting perhaps the struggles of the private sector as much as anything.
Research does pay off in economic development
I was saddened greatly by the opinion piece “UWM as economic engine? Dream on” by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Marc Levine (Crossroads, Oct. 4). The central theme of that piece is disdain for Chancellor Carlos Santiagoâ??s leadership and vision of what UWM can do for Milwaukeeâ??s and Wisconsinâ??s economic futures.
It would be a tragic shame if anyone used Levineâ??s analysis as an excuse to deflect UWMâ??s current trajectory. I am absolutely convinced that UWM is on a path to become one of the nationâ??s great research universities and that the achievement of that goal is critical for the economic future of Milwaukee and all of Wisconsin (including, let me add specifically, the futures of Madison and UW-Madison), says former UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley in an op-ed column.
UW calls proposal to change patent law ‘reckless’
University of Wisconsin-Madison officials are lashing out at new recommendations from an influential federal panel that could dramatically weaken patent protection for the universityâ??s genetic research.
Among other things, the panel recommended essentially exempting genetic tests for cancer and other diseases from patent protection – meaning that anyone could use genetic diagnostic research from UW-Madison or any university without obtaining licenses.
“They are making reckless policy recommendations,” said Andrew Cohn, who spearheads government lobbying efforts on behalf of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, UW-Madisonâ??s patent-management arm. “This is an incredible precedent, a bad precedent.”
Love â??em or hate â??em, SLAC spot-on about UW apparel
Last week the Student Labor Action Coalition marched into Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s office, opposing the University of Wisconsinâ??s athletic apparel contracts with less-than-transparent multinational monoliths like adidas. And Biddy sat down and had what one SLAC member called â??a thoughtful and productive dialogue.â?
UW-Madisons patenting arm settles suit with Intel
The University of Wisconsin-Madisons patenting arm has settled a patent infringement lawsuit against computer chip maker Intel Corp. involving technology used in a popular computer processor.
Badger State’s tech boom
There was a time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when starting a company ranked somewhere between gambling and arms dealing.
Faculty members shunned entrepreneurship because it seemed to conflict with the school’s true mission of conducting research and educating students, a debate that still rages at schools across the country, including the University of Minnesota.
“Prior to 1992, very few faculty started companies,” said Thomas (Rock) Mackie, chairman and co-founder of TomoTherapy Inc., who still teaches medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It was almost frowned upon. But now it’s actively encouraged.”
SLAC protests in chancellorâ??s office over sweatshop concerns
The Student Labor Action Coalition protested at Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s office Wednesday to voice their concerns with UW-Madisonâ??s actions toward sweatshop conditions.
SLAC demands meeting with chancellor
The Student Labor Action Coalition marched on Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s office Wednesday in protest of the University of Wisconsinâ??s agreement with multinational corporations that manufacture UW apparel.
A bio border battle
Wisconsin has become the regional biotech equivalent of traditional high-tech powerhouses like Boston, Silicon Valley and Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, thanks to strong political support, an influx of investor capital and what is arguably the most formidable university technology transfer program in the country.
Preizler to lead graduate business programs at Edgewood College
Marty Preizler was named the new director of graduate programs for the School of Business at Edgewood College. The college made the announcement in a press release Tuesday.
Entrepreneurship major earns approval at UW-W
The UW System Board of Regents has approved a new bachelor of business administration degree in entrepreneurship for UW-Whitewater.
Charter St. plant plans presented
The Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee was presented with renovation plans for the power plant on Charter Street Monday night, including phasing out coal and utilizing more renewable fuels.
Thoughtfulness trumps attacks in food debate
Two decades ago, it seemed that not a month went by without some farmer or another challenging the term “sustainable agriculture.” Farmers wrote letters to editors in farm papers asserting that there was no definition for this ridiculous term; it meant whatever a person wanted it to mean. In fact, then as now, sustainable agriculture advanced straightforward principles – of elevating environmentally sound, economically profitable and socially responsible agricultural systems.
Various farmers and more than one agricultural researcher buttonholed me back then to say that agriculture had to feed the world and this fanciful approach undercut agricultureâ??s serious responsibilities. Some perceived sustainable agriculture as anti-technology and opposed to change. It was a contentious time in agriculture, born of the farm crisis – the terrifying hemorrhaging of farmers during the 1980s – and the growing awareness of environmental damage from many federal agricultural policies.
Into this hostile climate was born the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last week.
Students awarded grants for entrepreneurship
Four students were awarded the Student Venture Seed Grant Monday for their business ventures as part of the Wiscontrepreneur program. The SVS program will provide each student with $3,000 to help turn their start-up businesses into successful companies. Charles Hoslet, UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations managing director, said the program is designed to support students interested in pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.
UW entrepreneur students receive seed grants
Consistent with the spirit of the University of Wisconsinâ??s top-25 national ranking for entrepreneurship last week, the Wiscontrepreneur initiative announced the winners of the Student Venture Seed Grant Competition Monday. According to Allen Dines, assistant director at UWâ??s Office of Corporate Relations, five applicants presented their ideas to a panel of judges that consisted of university employees as well as local business leaders. Four of those five were then awarded $3,000 to help further their businesses.
Student start-ups receive grants from UW-Madison
Four student-run start-ups have received grants from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Corporate Relations to help grow their businesses. The businesses, all run by UW-Madison undergraduate students, each received $3,000 from the officeâ??s Student Venture Seed Grant Program, the university said Monday.
John Oncken: Farmers have no real beef with Pollan, but donâ??t blame them for obesity
Among the estimated 7,000 students, University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty and the public who attended author Michael Pollanâ??s discussion of his latest book, “In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto,” were some 200 Wisconsin farmers.
The farmer delegation came to the Kohl Center on buses chartered by Madison-based feed company Vita Plus to hear for themselves what the much-discussed book was about, direct from Pollan himself.
….Mostly, the farmers attending the Pollan event seemed to be worried about how few of the students know anything about farming and have ever seen a farm up close. They’d like to do something about it.
Some farmers suggested that Chancellor Martin’s next effort might center on “Visit a Farm,” whereby entire classes, special groups or individual students and faculty would take a trip to an actual dairy or livestock farm.
Survey ranks UW entrepreneur programs among best in U.S.
Both UW-Madison graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurship programs within the School of Business ranked among the top 25 in the nation, according to a recent survey.
Study predicts â??perfect stormâ??
Wisconsin School of Business professors produced a recommendation based on their recent study to the Obama administration regarding the grave condition of foreclosures across America.
In defense of Michael Pollan and a broad food debate
….The Farm Bureau bureaucracy is all hot and bothered because the UWâ??s Go Big Read program – which seeks to promote a campus-wide discussion about a particular book – selected Michael Pollanâ??s “In Defense of Food” as the text students and faculty will be discussing.
“Pollan has narrow and elitist ideas about how you should eat and how farmers should or shouldnâ??t feed a hungry and growing world,” argues the federationâ??s president.
Actually, Pollan, whose work has revolutionized the discussion about food and food production in the United States, argues that Americans should eat locally grown foods – especially plants – and should be wary of the claims of “a 32 billion-dollar food-marketing machine” that keeps telling us the best way to eat just happens to be the way that yields the highest profits for multinational corporations.
….No matter what the motivations, no matter whether the misread of “In Defense of Food” is malignant or misguided, the bottom line is that Pollan is not the problem for working farmers. He may, in fact, be a part of the solution. So it is good that his book is being read by UW students and it is great that he is coming to Madison to further the discussion.
Ceremony honors new benefits for employees
Chancellor Biddy Martin hosted a reception Monday to mark the expansion of domestic partner benefits for UW System employees.
UW honors domestic partnership
The Faculty Senate and Academic Staff Assembly celebrated Monday Gov. Jim Doyleâ??s signing into law the state budget bill that authorized domestic partner health insurance with faculty, students and Madison residents Monday.
WI Business School predicts foreclosure “perfect storm”
MADISON (WKOW) — Researchers at the University of Wisconsin Business School call it the “perfect storm”.
Home values are declining and unemployment is rising.
Authors of a new study at the business school say President Barack Obamaâ??s foreclosure rescue plan doesnâ??t adequately address both problems.
Authors: Morris A. Davis, Stephen Malpezzi and François Ortalo-Magné
Tech: BTN to stream at least 200 â??minor’ sports events
The Big Ten Network announced that it will double its commitment to several Olympic sports this season by streaming at least 200 live events on www.BigTenNetwork.com — more than double the 100 last season.
All events on www.BigTenNetwork.com will be available for just $2.99 per event, which BTN said in a news release was “significantly” less expensive than the cost of most other collegiate streaming services.
Of the 200-plus events, there will be 21 non-conference menâ??s basketball games, plus all exhibition games. Unlike any other conference, the Big Ten will receive TV or Internet coverage for every single home menâ??s basketball game for the third straight year. Once again, nearly 90 percent of Big Ten home regular season games will be televised.
Obamaâ??s smart, bipartisan pick for SBA role
Madison businessman Winslow Sargeant seems all but certain to secure the position as federal Small Business Administration counsel to which he was nominated by President Barack Obama. And rightly so.
Biz Beat: UW chancellor denies buckling to ‘Big Farma’
Itâ??s no secret farm groups in Wisconsin are in a froth over the UW-Madisonâ??s invite to Michael Pollan to visit campus.
The best-selling author of “The Omnivoreâ??s Dilemma,” Pollan has emerged as the leading critic of mainstream agriculture, factory farming and the meat-heavy diet of Americans. His call to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” has enraged cattle, pork and dairy producers nationwide — not to mention its various front groups like the Center for Consumer Freedom.
Pollan will visit Madison on Sept. 24 for a lecture at the Kohl Center. He also will participate in a panel discussion on Sept. 25 as part of the UWâ??s “Go Big Read” campus-wide book reading program where his 2008 work “In Defense of Food” will be discussed.
Yet while farm groups have openly criticized UW chancellor Biddy Martin for approving the Pollan book for the “Go Big Read” effort, Martin is also taking some behind-the-scenes heat from left-wing foodies.
Biz Beat: A big empty space
University Square owner Greg Rice isnâ??t sure where to go next with the large restaurant space at the corner of West Johnson and Lake Streets.
But heâ??s grown frustrated now that Scott Acker has abandoned his plans for a sports-themed bar/restaurant to fill the 24,000 square feet of space in the mixed use development.
UW teaches artists business skills
“So you’re an actor?” goes an old joke in both Manhattan and Hollywood. “Which restaurant?”
The image of the starving artist may be romantic, but that’s about it. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is combating uncertainty for people contemplating arts careers with a groundbreaking program called Arts Enterprise. It includes a public lecture series.
On Campus: State Street Brats named a top college sports bar by Playboy
If youâ??re looking for a place to party on game day, State Street Brats is one of the best, according to Playboy magazine. The Madison bar made Playboy magazineâ??s top 10 list of the best college sports bars.
Students learn about marketing by selling radio headsets for Badger games
Badger fans can optimize their game-day experience and support a local high school business club with the purchase of pre-tuned earpiece radios that let users hear the play-by-play in real time with action on the field, court or ice rink.
Hawked by students in LaFollette High Schoolâ??s DECA Club as a fundraiser and a business learning experience, the headsets cost $20 and are good for the current season of Badger football games, home and away, and the home games of the menâ??s hockey and basketball teams.
Many students unaware of Breese Terrace Union
UW-Madison students could not miss the gigantic hole that replaced Union South last spring, but few have any clue a new union has opened in its place.
On Campus: UW-Whitewater will offer undergrad degree in entrepreneurship
UW-Whitewater will offer an undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship after the UW Board of Regents approved the new degree Friday.
UW-Madison is the only other school in the University of Wisconsin System to offer such a degree.
To banks, college students are pure gold
Zachary Glembin eagerly eyed the inflated plastic booth set up in the plaza of East Campus Mall, in the University Square complex.
He would be the first to step inside and make a grab for as much play money as he could hang onto in 30 seconds as it flew around in the portable wind tunnel, dubbed the Tycoon Typhoon – play money that would be exchanged for the real thing.
Madison: the low-cost biotech alternative?
Wisconsin economic development gurus love to tout Madison as one of the worldâ??s rising biotech “hot spots.” But Madisonâ??s biotechnology scene gets an unflattering mention in a new report detailed in the Scientist magazine – for having some of the lowest life sciences salaries in the nation.
Power plant to switch to renewable biofuels
UW-Madison Facilities Planning and Management plans to completely phase coal out of operations in the Charter Street heating plant by 2013, soliciting public feedback at a meeting Wednesday.