While state lawmakers debate whether to help homeowners in foreclosure with a statewide requirement stipulating that lenders must agree to mediation sessions, in Dane County a similar decision already has been made. Starting Monday, Dane County residents facing foreclosure will have the right to request a mediation session that could help them keep their homes. Itâ??s only an option, though, and lenders can decline mediation. UW-Madison Law School students will help families prepare for the sessions.
Category: Business/Technology
Companies in three regions of Wisconsin had decline in economic indicators in 2009
Wisconsin State Journal
Businesses in northeast Wisconsin weathered the recession better than those in Dane County in 2009 but both of those regions came out ahead of the Milwaukee area, according to a report being released Friday. In all, more than 1,300 business leaders responded to the poll by the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research at the UW-Madison School of Business.
UW pushes University Avenue vending plan
Daily Cardinal
Discussion was heated Wednesday night at the Vending Oversight Committee meeting as members debated a review draft for the proposed University Avenue vending area.
Entrepreneur finds success by transforming childrenâ??s business
Wisconsin State Journal
He admits itâ??s foreign territory for an unmarried, childless, 49-year-old man whoâ??s spent the majority of his time in the commercial real estate business, but Tom Baggot seems to have found his calling running Legacy Academy Activity Center, a 6,000-square-foot, indoor playground for children 12 and under.
Applications hold steady at 2 Wis. biz schools
Madison.com
The business schools in Madison and Milwaukee say theyâ??re bucking a national trend that sees fewer incoming freshmen wanting to major in business. An annual survey by the Higher Education Research Institute says 14 percent of freshmen want a bachelorâ??s degree in business. Thatâ??s down from 17 percent last year. But the business schools at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University say applications are holding steady if not rising.
Wisconsin universities buck national business student trend
Wisconsin Public Radio
A national study says the number of freshmen wanting to major in business is at its lowest level in 35 years. But administrators at two business schools in Wisconsin say theyâ??re bucking that trend.
The Higher Education Research Instituteâ??s annual survey shows 14.4 percent of freshmen want to get a bachelorâ??s in business, compared to just under 17-percent in the previous year. Itâ??s the lowest rate since 1974, when 14-percent wanted a business degree.
Southeast campus proposal provides new facilities and expansive lawn
Daily Cardinal
The Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee met Monday evening to discuss the significant redevelopment plans underway at Gordon Commons.
Gordon Commons planning underway
Badger Herald
University of Wisconsin campus planners revealed more details about the construction of a new Gordon Commons and the relocation of the McBurney Center at a meeting of the Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee Monday night.
International students excluded from RA unions
Badger Herald
Legislation allowing research assistants at the University of Wisconsin to unionize has met controversy because it excludes international students from the bargaining table.
Congested campus spot to get another high-rise â?? but no parking
Capital Times
A high-rise student apartment building is coming to one of the most congested spots on the UW-Madison campus â?? with no new parking spaces.
Monday night, the Madison Plan Commission on a 5-2 vote approved a proposal from landlord Patrick Corcoran for an eight-story apartment tower at 621 Mendota Court.
Cross Country: It’s ag meeting season
Capital Times
The â??quiet timeâ? in Wisconsin agriculture — from Thanksgiving to New Yearâ??s or so — has given way to â??the meeting seasonâ? that runs hot and heavy through the WPS Farm Show in the first week of April. After that farmers get anxious to head to the fields, weather permitting, and start the cropping season anew.
Athletic ticket prices may increase next fall
Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison Athletic Board officials discussed the possibility of increased ticket prices Tuesday for the 2010-â??11 Athletic Department budget.
Schools to partner on research grants
Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin and UW-Milwaukee announced a joint grant program this week that would create collaborative research initiatives between the two universities.
Ticket prices may increase
Badger Herald
Badger fans may see an increase in the price of tickets for the 2010-11 athletic season â?? a change that was described as â??inevitableâ? by a University of Wisconsin Athletic Board committee Tuesday.
Wis. Senate poised to vote on Democrats’ job plan
Madison.com
The Democratsâ?? plan for creating jobs and improving Wisconsinâ??s economy is scheduled for a vote Thursday in the Senate. The proposal would expand the state program that provides tax credits for angel and venture capital investment and would increase partnerships between businesses and the University of Wisconsin.
Report: Net Farm Income Drops 56 Percent In Wisconsin
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — Net farm income dropped in Wisconsin by 56 percent in 2009, according to a new report.
The report by University of Wisconsin-Madison agricultural economists notes the $1.1 billion in farm income last year was the lowest total since 2002.
UW tops UWM, 117-3, in patent game
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
While UW-Milwaukee aims to expand its research capacity as a way to catalyze new jobs and investment – it is adding programs in engineering and water technology – the school barely registers on one of the nationâ??s most crucial measures of innovation: the annual tally of newly issued U.S. patents. In 2009, the number totaled three.
The stateâ??s flagship research university in Madison, by contrast, ranks near the top of the national tables with 117 patents last year. That puts UW-Madison at No. 3 behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at No. 2 (132 patents in 2009) and the entire 10-campus University of California system at No. 1 (172 patents). Californiaâ??s state system, which includes UC-Berkeley and UCLA, assigns patents under a single entity.
Koss names a new chief financial officer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison accounting professor Terry Warfield.
A razor thin recovery
Wisconsin Radio Network
A Wisconsin economist says the stateâ??s economic recovery will closely mirror what happens at the national level. A great deal of uncertainty remains, according to University of Wisconsin School of Business Dean Michael Knetter. â??Certainly a bottomâ??s been reached, but I would say that this is one of those periods in our economic history where thereâ??s probably more uncertainty about the nature about the nature of this recovery than Iâ??ve seen since Iâ??ve been a practicing economist watching the economy,â? Knetter told WisconsinEye.
Weak recovery won’t be rushed, business school dean says
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The economic recovery is under way but muted and fragile, and there isnâ??t much that can be done to hasten it, the dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s School of Business said Thursday.
While the economy should grow at a rate of about 3%, most of the major gains to be had from the stock market rebound already have occurred, Michael Knetter told about 500 business people gathered for the annual Wisconsin Bankers Association Economic Forecast Luncheon at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.
Biz Beat: Unfinished Camp Randall hotel on market
Capital Times
Developers of the hotel across from Camp Randall Stadium have put the stalled 48-room project on the market. Owner Bob Sieger is seeking partners to invest a minimum of $2.5 million in the project.
“Bob has put a lot of time and energy into this and is looking for a partner,” said listing broker David Baehr.
Work was halted in October and the construction company Kraemer Brothers has filed a $3.7 million lien against the developer Sieger LLC.Construction began on the project in November, 2008. The plan was for the 48-room hotel to open in time for part of the Badgersâ?? 2009 football season.
Recovering from recession will take time, economists say
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Mike Knetter, dean of the UW-Madison School of Business.
Campus Connection: Patents, prison, stem cells and textbook rentals
Capital Times
Catching up on a couple higher education-related items worth noting …The University of Wisconsin-Madison received 117 patents in 2009 according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data.
While that number is impressive, the article reports that “Wisconsinâ??s most innovative company doesnâ??t engineer stem cells, create virtual worlds or manufacture touch-screen cell phones.
“Nope, the state company that received the most patents in 2009 is Kimberly-Clark Corp. — which makes diapers, paper towels and toilet paper. Last year, the company received 155 patents.
….The folks at UW Communications posted an article talking about new research led by UW-Madison biochemistry professor Judith Kimble that looks into the biological factors which control how stem cells develop.
Four arrested in crime spree downtown
Capital Times
Four young men were arrested and a fifth remains at large following a crime spree early Sunday morning in downtown Madison.
Before it ended, police said, the spree involved a shooting, a liquor store break-in and a chase with a police dog nabbing a suspect and standing on top of him while waiting for his master to arrive to make the arrest.
Lagging research puts city behind
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Mentions that last year, Kimberly-Clark received 155 patents, outstripping the University of Wisconsin-Madison (117 patents) and GE Healthcare Ltd., which has many operations in Waukesha (89 patents), according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data.
Forum to examine downturn in Wis. agriculture
Madison.com
The effect of the recession on Wisconsinâ??s agriculture community will be examined at a forum open to the public in Madison on Jan. 20. The meeting is organized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as well as UW-Cooperative Extension.
Cross Country: Babcock Institute helps ag efforts from UW campus to China, Kosovo
Capital Times
Although its office is in the Animal Science Building on the UW-Madison campus, its funding comes mainly from the USDA.
Its mission is a lofty one: to link the dairy industries of Wisconsin and the U.S. with dairy industries around the world to improve the quality of life and foster market development. And to transform emerging dairy industries and strengthen the U.S. dairy industry through international partnership, training and research.
Its name — the Babcock Institute for International Dairy Research and Development — might suggest dozens (maybe hundreds) of Ph.D.s, floors of research laboratories, huge auditoriums and vast libraries of technical papers and even a communications department, with dozens of computers manned by communication experts. Wrong! You can count the number of employees on one hand and have a finger or two left over.
Study: Property taxes force few elderly to move
Madison.com
A study by a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher and the Department of Revenue concludes that property tax increases force few elderly people to move out of their homes.
Appeals court upholds ruling for WARF
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
An appellate court has upheld a 2006 decision that awarded the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation $1 million in its case against a Canadian biotechnology company, the foundation said Wednesday.
UW Madison’s patenting arm wins suit against Xenon
Madison.com
The University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s patenting arm won an appeal Tuesday in federal court against Canadian drug company Xenon.The lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation dealt with how Xenon handled patent rights to an enzyme that can lower cholesterol levels in the human body.
Appeals court backs Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation in patent lawsuit
Capital Times
The University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s patenting arm won an appeal Tuesday in federal court against Canadian drug company Xenon.
The lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation dealt with how Xenon handled patent rights to an enzyme that can lower cholesterol levels in the human body.
Researchers at the university discovered the enzyme in 1999 and two years later the research foundation licensed the technology to Xenon, which partially sponsored the work. The foundation gave Xenon an exclusive license to commercialize the discovery and market any resulting products in exchange for a share of the profits.
Resource center will help specialty meat producers
Wisconsin State Journal
A partnership between the stateâ??s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the meat-processing industry makes Wisconsin the first state to have a nonprofit resource center for artisanal sausage and meat makers. A key initiative of the center is the creation of a two-year Master Meat Crafter Training Program, the first of its kind in the country. The program, affiliated with UW-Madison, is in development and will begin in spring.
Fed economist, UW dean to talk at Wisconsin Economic Forecast event
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison School of Business Dean Michael Knetter will be among those offering projections for the coming year at the 2010 Wisconsin Economic Forecast luncheon Jan. 14 at Monona Terrace.
Jumping on the hop crop bandwagon
Wisconsin State Journal
A team of hop enthusiasts is reaching out to Wisconsin landowners, offering the chance to become part of what they hope will become the stateâ??s hop-growing revival.
All you need to jump on the hop crop bandwagon â?? the product that provides the characteristic bitter taste to beer as well as its flowery aroma â?? is an acre of suitable farmland anywhere in Wisconsin or upper Midwest and about $10,000.
Kevin T. Conroy: Life sciences are a winner in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal
When business people think of Wisconsin, they usually conjure up images of manufacturing, agriculture and a strong Midwestern work ethic.
Some may not realize, however, that a growing part of this stateâ??s economic engine is the biotechnology, medical research and biopharmaceutical industries. Despite 2009â??s down economy, this sector has found Wisconsin to be a welcoming environment for business opportunity and growth.
Campus Connection: Conflict of interest, Shalala, furloughs and more
Capital Times
Passing along a couple UW-Madison and higher education-related items that caught my eye over the past week …
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel continued its “occasional series” taking a hard and fascinating look at conflicts of interest between doctors and drug and medical device companies. And like many of the previous articles, this most recent one gives the UW a black eye.
Tips for would-be business owners
Neil Lerner, director of UW-Madisonâ??s Small Business Development Center, offers these tips for people who want to start their own business.
The year Madison discovered it was no longer recession proof
Capital Times
As Madison rang in 2009, still giddy from the election of President Barack Obama, there was optimism the city could somehow avoid the economic fallout from the great recession.
After all, the government town had survived previous downturns virtually unscathed thanks to the twin pillars of the University of Wisconsin and state of Wisconsin.
….The Center on Wisconsin Strategy, a liberal-leaning UW-Madison think tank, kept a running tally of the stateâ??s job scene with monthly updates. Its final report for 2009 showed the state had lost 163,000 jobs since the recession officially began in December 2007 â?? or 5.7 percent of the total jobs in the state.
â??The current downturn has now far surpassed the recession of the early 1980s with respect to percent of jobs lost,â? the report says.
The stateâ??s unemployment rate, however, peaked at 9 percent, failing to reach double digits as some had predicted. The jobless rate has since fallen back to 8.2 percent.
Campus Connection: Gopher wishes University of Minnesota were more like UW
Capital Times
….While itâ??s easy to disregard compliments of Wisconsinâ??s flagship institution or the stateâ??s business climate when they come from internal cheerleaders, itâ??s a little harder when the one singing the praises is a rival.
“Wisconsin as a state has done far more to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that can really support the innovation that comes out of the university, help convert it to jobs and products, and help keep them in the state,” Tim Mulcahy, the University of Minnesotaâ??s vice president for research, told the Star Tribune.
Who elected Fred Mohs mayor?
Itâ??s three days after an early December snowstorm dumped 14 inches on Madison and most city streets remain covered with a layer of compacted snow.
Rush-hour traffic is moving at a crawl and the talk radio jocks are having a field day ripping the mayor for not using enough road salt in the name of environmental protection.
But Fred Mohs isnâ??t cursing the icy conditions. Heâ??s just strolled three blocks in brilliant sunshine from his whitewashed mansion on Wisconsin Avenue to his cozy law office on the Capitol Square.
Actuarial programs at Drake, U of I honored for excellence (The Des Moines Register)
Noted: In addition to Drake and the University of Iowa, other Centers of Actuarial Excellence are: University of Connecticut, Georgia State University, Illinois State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, St. Johnâ??s University, Temple University and University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, and the University of Manitoba, Université Laval and the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Biz Beat: Who says Wisconsin is bad for business?
Capital Times
Madison and Milwaukee are both ranked among the top 20 metro areas in the country for business, according to this yearâ??s study by MarketWatch.com.
That result flies in the face of critics who are constantly deriding the state over its reputation for not being kind to the private sector.
Madison-area’s economy shows strength
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Don Nichols, professor emeritus of economics and public affairs at UW-Madison.
New development projects set to alter city; students a high priority
Daily Cardinal
Over the past semester, a countless number of new development projects began popping up across Madison. The city soon found itself at the center of controversy and excitement as the line between new and old Madison continued to grow, despite a nation-wide recession.
Martin looking to resolve Nike issue
Badger Herald
I write to bring you up to date on an important issue. Some of you have been following the news and publicity about the workers of two now-closed apparel factories in Honduras, Hugger de Honduras and Vision Tex.
SLAC gives poor grade to Martin
Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin Student Labor Action Coalition distributed its â??report cardâ? Monday to Chancellor Biddy Martin, based on observations of how she has been handling the Honduras-Nike labor issue.
Business survey more optimistic about 2010
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The First Business Bank Economic Survey of Milwaukee and Waukesha counties is based on responses from 566 businesses across the two counties and was conducted by the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dane County economy: Some businesses ‘are holding their breath’
Wisconsin State Journal
Local business leaders are bracing for another difficult year, the head of a prominent Madison insurance company told a forum at Monona Terrace on Thursday. Scott Converse, director of technology programs for the UW-Madison School of Business, said technology and service companies are a bit more upbeat than those in manufacturing or retail.
Tech: CEO says Woods scandal ‘better than Michael Jackson dying’ for helping Yahoo! make money
Capital Times
The Tiger Woods sex scandal has been a boon for online publications, even though it hasnâ??t generated the same amount of Internet traffic as Michael Jacksonâ??s death or President Barack Obamaâ??s inauguration, the Associated Press reported.
Provocative remarks by Yahoo Inc. CEO Carol Bartz at an investor conference in New York this week illustrate how major Internet channels and niche publications are benefiting from the Woods controversy.
Known for her off-color commentary, the UW-Madison graduate told financial analysts Tuesday that the Woods story is “better than Michael Jackson dying” for helping Yahoo make money, because it is easier to sell ads against salacious content than morbid stories, AP reported.
Campus Connection: UW-Madison puts Nike on notice
Capital Times
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has decided to give Nike four months to clear up problems of reported workersâ?? rights abuses at two factories that the sports apparel giant subcontracts with in Honduras.
If the situation isnâ??t remedied, the university could end its apparel contract with Nike — a deal which brings the university nearly $50,000 per year.
Martin said Monday that she hopes to build a coalition of interested schools from the Big Ten Conference and other peer institutions to put pressure on Nike.
UW asks Nike to act on alleged labor violations
Daily Cardinal
Chancellor Biddy Martin asked Nike, a UW-Madison apparel licensee, last week to begin making progress correcting alleged workersâ?? rights violations within the next four months.
UW needs eminent oversight
Badger Herald
Depending on how much you read the paper, or how often you feel the need for that two-for-one Long Island special, you may or may not be aware of the lawsuit Brothers recently filed to prevent losing its current location. The suit came after the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents granted the university the right, under eminent domain, to build a performance facility on the property occupied, in part, by Brothers.
Nike asked to address labor
Badger Herald
Chancellor Biddy Martin requested in writing Friday that Nike address issues of workersâ?? rights abuses at two of its Honduras-based subcontractors within the next four months or allow its contract with the University of Wisconsin to expire.
Recovery hinges on birthplace of jobs: New firms
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Deploy the models of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and BizStarts Milwaukee to encourage a national corps of mentors – seasoned entrepreneurs – to help high-growth ventures get out of the starting gates. Veterans with lots of scar tissue can help entrepreneurs avoid critical start-up mistakes, thereby improving the win ratio.
8-story complex receives support
Badger Herald
Developer Patrick Properties presented updated plans for a new eight-story apartment complex on Mendota Court to the State-Langdon Neighborhood Association meeting Thursday night.
Doug Moe: Madison entrepreneur seeks success in China
Wisconsin State Journal
It may be a brave new world, but not every bold business move is made by a 23-year-old who looks 16. â??Iâ??m a geezer entrepreneur,â? 59-year-old Tom Olscheske was saying Wednesday. His Madison-based company, a-Peer, is helping create a cultural park in Shanghai. The companyâ??s main focus is digital technology as it relates to the music and video industry, and China â?? which Olscheske first visited as a UW-Madison student in 1971 â?? is its start-up market.
Anchor stock climbs 54 percent following investor announcement
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Bob Cramer, co-founder of several local banks and a lecturer at the UW-Madison School of Business Puelicher Center for Banking Education.
Bill to restrict boardâ??s power
Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regentsâ?? ability to condemn and acquire properties for state use under eminent domain could be restricted by a recently proposed bill.
Boost credits to grow state biz
Wisconsin State Journal
The Wisconsin Legislature is pushing an economic growth package with some strong provisions worthy of support. This includes expanded tax credits for investors in early-stage companies and more support for commercializing university research at campuses beyond just UW-Madison.
Audit: Wis. cable rates rose 21 percent in 2 years
Madison.com
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton.