UW Centers unveil online sustainable business degree

Energy independence and an educated workforce are critical to a prosperous future for Wisconsin. To respond, the University of Wisconsin-Extension is charging in with a bold new Degree: the nation’s first online sustainable management bachelor’s degree.

For the first time, University of Wisconsin-Extension has brought together the strengths of four campuses—UW-Parkside, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout and UW-Superior—to craft a degree program that equips workers with the management skills they will need to lead sustainable business initiatives.

The UW System Board of Regents approved the joint degree program May 8. Applications for fall 2009 are now being accepted. In as little as two years, American businesses will be able to tap these newly minted green collar managers.

“I commend the UW-Extension for developing the nation’s first online sustainable management bachelor’s degree,” says Depart-ment of Commerce Secretary Richard J. Leinenkugel. “The green economy has real growth potential in Wisconsin, and we will need skilled and talented workers to get the job done.”

The sustainable management degree takes the theories of sustainability and makes them tangible in the business setting, through a hands-on, problem-solving approach that can be applied in multiple departments, from facilities and plant management to human resources.

The sustainable management degree was crafted in close partnership with the companies that are leading the way in sustainable business practices, including a number of Wisconsin-based companies such as Johnson Controls, Quad Graphics, SC Johnson, Kohl’s and Modine Manufacturing.

The 21-course, 63-credit degree is unique in that it is the first online degree to combine the full resources of four nationally recognized campuses with a minimal carbon footprint and the personal flexibility that online learning has always offered. Courses are accessible wherever an Internet connection is available.

For more information or to complete an application, visit sustain.wisconsin.edu.

MOVERS

>> Orion Energy Systems Inc. has appointed Mark Williamson to the company’s seven-member board. Williamson is a partner in Putnam Roby Williamson Communications, Madison, specialists in energy utility matters.

>> North Shore Bank has announced that president and CEO James F. McKenna has been selected to serve a two-year term on the Office of Thrift Supervision’s Mutual Savings Association Advisory Committee, a newly created panel that advises OTS on how best to support the country’s mutual institutions. In this leadership role, McKenna will help guide and provide input on the national reorganization of U.S. bank regulations.

>> Madison Environmental Group, Inc. has promoted Jonathan Tupper to associate sustainability consultant.

>> WisconsinRx, a coalition of employers and organizations that have joined together to purchase prescription benefits for their employees, has promoted Deb Thomsen to vice-president of coalition development.

>> Kirk Tuson, President of Stay-Lite Lighting in Pewaukee, has been re-elected to serve on the board of the Professional Lighting and Sign Management Companies of America (PLASMA). He sits on the board as past president.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

STATEWIDE: DeWitt Ross & Stevens announced the launch of a new Consumer Product Safety Practice Group to help clients navigate consumer product compliance issues including the Consumer Product Safety Act of 2008 (CPSIA). DeWitt Ross & Stevens is the only legal team in Wisconsin assembled to specifically address the CPSIA.

MILWAUKEE: A new Wisconsin chapter of Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries (MBBI) has formed in Milwaukee. The Wisconsin arm of the organization, which is based in Chicago, was recently created to bring together business transaction and merger and acquisition professionals from throughout the Badger State. “Our goal is to create a positive culture based on teamwork and professionalism by offering an opportunity for members to build relationships,” says MBBI Wisconsin Leadership Team member Steve Peterson of Brass Ring Capital Inc. “We are offering educational seminars and presentations by speakers who have expertise in issues critical to completing transactions, and share best practices.”