Appendix B
Focus Group Report, University of Wisconsin, Business Relationship Study
Prepared by: Chamberlain Research Consultants, November 2002
Prepared for: Chancellor's Task Force on University-Business Relations
Introduction and Methodology
Background
On behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chamberlain Research Consultants, Inc. (CRC) conducted a series of focus groups to explore perceptions of the university among state businesses. In particular, the study sought to provide insight on the UW-Madison's current relationship with the Wisconsin business community while generating useful ideas for enhancing this relationship.
The study was designed to accomplish three goals:
- To assist the UW-Madison in improving its outreach to state businesses
- To assist the UW-Madison in improving its communication to state businesses
- To determine how the UW-Madison can best help state businesses grow
Participant Profile
Six groups were held in five cities between September 23rd and October 16th, 2002. CRC recruited participants by phone from several client lists.
The groups consisted of a mix of companies with and without a connection to the UW-Madison. Each city was designated to have either emerging or established businesses in the group. However, in Madison, we held both an emerging and an established group. In the Fox Valley, the group was a mix of both emerging and established businesses. Emerging companies were defined as those in business for fewer than ten years, while established companies had to have been in business for more than ten years.
The focus group participants were high-ranking business executives—mostly CEOs, presidents, or vice presidents with many responsibilities and much influence within their companies.
Limitations of the Research
Focus groups are an extremely useful tool for discovering broad ranges of customer experiences and opinions. As a qualitative technique, focus groups excel at providing breadth of data. However, findings from focus groups are not necessarily representative of their populations and cannot be projected as quantitative survey data could be.
Capsule Summary
If the UW-Madison wishes to forge a better relationship with the Wisconsin business community, these business leaders feel that the university needs to adopt a business model and treat businesses as customers. This should involve adopting a mission statement about the university's relationship with the business community, developing structures that encourage personal contacts between businesses and the university, working more closely with other UW campuses, and working with businesses during the research process. UW-Madison should strive towards targeted, interactive communication rather than messages broadcast to the business community as a whole. Business leaders are far more likely to read industry-targeted or personal communications than general mailings. Finally, participants felt that the UW-Madison needed to take an active part in creating internship programs in businesses across the state, fulfilling employment needs of businesses and providing a well-rounded education for students.
Executive Summary and Recommendations
The six focus groups yielded many insights and suggestions. Each group was composed of engaging, enthusiastic, and insightful participants. This Executive Summary points out the recurring ideas, and the group summaries provide synopses of each group. In order to gain full appreciation of the participants, many observations and opinions, it is important to read all six detailed findings reports.
There was a great deal of consensus, both within groups and between groups, about how participants wish the UW-Madison would change the way it interacts with the business community. If the UW-Madison wishes to establish a closer relationship with the Wisconsin business community, the following recommendations are what these business leaders felt were the most important steps in forging a lasting partnership.
UW-Madison should adopt a business model approach
Respondents felt that reconnecting with the business community would require the UW-Madison to behave more like a business itself. It should cater to Wisconsin businesses as if they were customers. Participants stated that any good business knows that the key to success is understanding the customers. Towards this end, respondents requested a contact person who directly interacts with them. They also asked that the university follow trends in business and better anticipate and understand their needs. They even suggested investing in customer relationship management software in order to be effective in its efforts.
Though they were sympathetic to the daunting task of actually contacting that many businesses directly, several groups pointed out that the UW Foundation contacts thousands of people and businesses every year to raise donations. If this was possible, several argued, then University-Industry Relations (UIR), or some other entity created for this purpose, should be capable of contacting just as many local businesses. In implementing a business model approach, UW-Madison should consider the following recommendations.
UW-Madison should develop a concise and detailed mission statement about how it intends to interact with the Wisconsin business community.
The most productive conversations in every group invariably led to a single question: What is the UW-Madison's mission regarding the business community? It was unclear to these groups what direction the UW-Madison wants to take to improve its role in business across the state. Thus, the first task facing the university is to adopt a mission statement and begin to make the business community aware of its goals. Respondents stated that the university cannot be all things to all people. It needs to find its focus and then let the business community know what its intentions are. This mission statement should be included in the executive summary of findings that the UW-Madison will be providing to study participants.
UW-Madison should develop a business plan.
UW-Madison should develop a strategic business plan that sets both short- and long-term goals for its interaction with the Wisconsin business community. UW-Madison has a great asset in the form of its business school, which makes available all the tools necessary to develop a master business plan.
UW-Madison should define its organizational structure.
UW-Madison should ensure that a specific person or organization is ultimately in charge of this aspect of interacting with local businesses. This person should be empowered to make decisions, create and enforce plans of action, and implement the business plan set forth. All areas of responsibility need to be clearly defined.
UW-Madison should imitate the "personal contact” approach that is already being used by businesses that currently have a connection with UW-Madison.
Participants who have established personal contacts at the UW-Madison rely on their contacts heavily. They count on them to provide updates about new resources and opportunities at the university and to help businesses navigate the entire university when they need resources in new areas outside of their normal spectrum.
Companies with personal contacts at the UW-Madison are far more willing to invest time and energy into finding the information they need. It seems that having one contact creates a sense of familiarity and security that allows these businesses to explore other departments when they need assistance.
Companies without such contacts, however, typically experience frustration very early in their searches, resulting in aborted efforts and a perception of the university as inaccessible. If the UW-Madison can initiate or provide these personal contacts, it will be more successful in its communication.
UW-Madison should benchmark successful departments, schools, and colleges.
Certain deans, departments, and colleges are more successful than others in forming relationships and outreach programs with the community. These success stories should serve as learning opportunities when developing plans for a business outreach model.
UW-Madison should work in partnership with businesses when conducting research with business applications.
Respondents felt alienated from the research process and felt that academic goals and timelines are not responsive to business needs. They suspected that research was being conducted that could be applicable to their businesses, but they did not know of any way to find out about it. When new discoveries are made public that are of interest to them, business leaders feel that the pace of moving products from the laboratory to the production line is far too slow for their needs. They want to be more involved in the initial stages of research so that research projects can reflect the real needs of businesses. They would also like a more streamlined system for getting new products or ideas out
into the marketplace.
UW-Madison should work as an integrated part of the UW-System rather than holding itself apart from the rest.
Business communities outside of Madison sense feuding between the Madison campus and other UW campuses. They felt the UW-Madison acted as if it were superior and apart from the rest of the UW system. Thus, UW-Madison does not learn from the excellent business relationships formed by some of the other UW campuses, including the two-year campuses. This is detrimental to the entire UW System and its relationship with the business community.
Some participants suggested that the UW System take a lesson from large businesses.
Large businesses with branch offices across the country take care to ensure that they present a unified public image; there should be a continuity of image, procedures, and accessibility between the various offices. This is currently not the case with the UW System, a fact which makes interactions with the UW more difficult.
Several participants lauded the nimbleness and adaptability of smaller UW campuses and technical colleges, claiming that these campuses are far quicker to react to the changing business climate than the UW-Madison. Thus, some reasoned that if the UW System coordinated better, smaller campuses could strive toward constant adaptation of new needs, while the Madison campus could remain the stable bulwark of traditional research and funding.
The farther outside of Madison we ventured, the more removed the business communities felt from the UW-Madison. Many respondents resented this and were therefore hesitant to initiate contact. It was suggested that the other UW System campuses nearer to them could be used to co-host events put on by UW-Madison.
UW-Madison should target its communication strategies to specific industries
UW-Madison should be more interactive and timely in communication.
UW-Madison should contact Wisconsin businesses directly, treating them as its customers. It needs to initiate that communication and to define a specific contact person for each business. Respondents also felt that the university often took too long to respond to attempts at communication. The timeframe the university operates by, especially in responding to inquiries, needs to be a business timeframe, not an academic one.
UW-Madison should use targeted communication.
The groups demanded only industry-specific information from the UW-Madison. In Madison, groups were excited by the prospect of attending trade shows or technology fairs put on by the university that would demonstrate what is on the horizon in their field. The best way to get businesses to listen to you is to speak their language in a way that is pertinent to their specific industry.
The groups maintained that they would not read any communication that they deemed irrelevant to their field. They would also not attend any trade shows that were not directly relevant to their needs. The UW-Madison needs a targeted effort, perhaps coming directly from the individual departments, but led by UIR. Participants would be more likely to open and read communications signed by their UW contact person. Thus, not just more, but also better, communication is required.
UW-Madison should create marketing strategies for UIR, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), and University Research Park.
Only a few participants in Madison were familiar with UIR, while those outside of Madison had no idea it even existed. If UIR is to function as the UW-Madison's first line of business communication, it must dramatically increase its visibility. By following the same business approach described above, UIR can begin to make a stronger name for itself. It must make targeted and industry-specific contacts in local businesses, bridge the gap between appropriate departments and their partners in the business community, as well as promote itself as the appropriate line of communication. Once again, the School of Business could provide excellent tools to help develop a marketing plan.
UW-Madison should work to improve its Web site to make it more user-friendly for businesses.
The UW-Madison has already begun addressing this complaint with a prominent link for businesses on the university's main Web page. This timely change should be highlighted in the report sent to study participants, so they can see that their opinions are already starting to make a difference. Many respondents complained that the university often asks for feedback from the business community, but doesn't make any changes or advancements based on the knowledge it gains.
UW-Madison should consider creating an overview list or directory of all its offerings.
Every group complained about the lack of general awareness and knowledge about opportunities available at the UW-Madison. Participants frequently stated that they were sure that the university offered many useful opportunities, but few knew what these were or where to find them. This contradicts the request for targeted information; however, it may be useful to create an event announcement on UIR's Web site where companies could see what is taking place at the UW-Madison and choose which events might be beneficial to them.
UW-Madison should build its internship program
UW-Madison should enlarge internship programs and provide greater access to students, thus providing richer educational opportunities and preventing a statewide erosion of talent.
Participants repeatedly expressed a need for capable entry-level employees and urged the UW-Madison to initiate widespread internship programs to give businesses earlier access to the next group of graduates. Businesses located far from Madison find it difficult to recruit students on their own, and thus feel they are missing out on some of the brightest students in the state. If the UW-Madison took a more active role in creating internship relationships, it would be far easier for businesses and students to connect.
In addition to allowing businesses to find the best candidates, these programs would be a great benefit for students, as well. Working in the many prestigious businesses throughout Wisconsin would add much-needed real-world experience to the outstanding academic education they are receiving at the UW-Madison. At the moment, participants feel that recent graduates lack the business training, management, leadership, and communication skills necessary for workforce success. Internships are a way to remedy that gap in students' education. Respondents felt that the university has a responsibility to both students and businesses to provide this education.
A further benefit of such an internship program is that it would increase awareness among the student population of the tremendous employment opportunities that exist in the state. Thus, when students are looking either for their first job out of college or looking for a place to live when they start families, they will have employment contacts already in place in Wisconsin beyond Madison itself.
Group Summaries
This section of the report presents the main findings from each of the six focus groups.
This section is followed by the Detailed Findings, which are complete, topic-by-topic accounts.
Group 1: Emerging Madison Companies
Tone of Group
This group was composed of thoughtful, insightful, and talkative participants. Further, it was an exemplary focus group in that every member contributed, no member attempted to dominate the discussion, and members were comfortable enough with each other to politely disagree and quibble.
Barriers to Access
The UW-Madison was accused of having a history of arrogance and inaccessibility by a few participants. Some members complained that the university "makes businesses
Work” too hard at establishing and maintaining a relationship.
Further, initiating a relationship is seen as very difficult for businesses not already on the inside because there is a perception that it takes lots of money and political favoritism to make the university interested in a company.
One participant reported that the word on the street is that the UW-Madison is very inaccessible and that outside companies have almost no chance of forging a relationship.
Another participant felt that there was a prejudice towards high technology at the UW- Madison which often worked to exclude low and medium technology companies, such as graphic design firms. He wondered if there was a place for his company in the university's mission.
Personal Contacts
Companies with no direct relationship with the UW are often overwhelmed when trying to establish a connection with the university. They feel that the UW-Madison is so large and decentralized that it is almost impossible to know where to start searching for good, applicable contacts. This uncertainty has led to frustration, and several participants pleaded for a more centralized, helpful system to help them navigate the university's many opportunities.
Companies that have spun off of the UW-Madison using the university's intellectual property do not share these frustrations. Due to their close contacts and prior history with the UW-Madison, they always know where to begin any search for a UW contact.
Two of the participants who felt otherwise disenfranchised by the university stated that they have experienced tremendous assistance at UW-Madison libraries, and that this has created some of their most successful attempts at communicating with the UW.
Thus, it seems that the most important factor between success and failure at navigating the UW-Madison is whether or not a company has a personal contact that it can rely upon for assistance.
Self-Reliance
Companies with ties to the UW-Madison often expressed far more willingness to put in the effort to navigate the UW than companies lacking such contacts. For instance, companies working with WARF said that they understand that UW-Madison is large and departmentalized and that it will take time and effort for them to find the appropriate contact for their needs. However, they were very willing to put in such an effort.
Conversely, companies without personal contacts became exasperated much more quickly and demanded more personal attention.
This reinforces the idea that it is crucial for the UW-Madison to help businesses make at least one strong connection with the university. Once this nexus is established, businesses will be more willing to pursue other relationships on their own.
One participant owned a company that once had no prior connections to UW-Madison.
Through some effort, his company was able to establish a relationship with the UW that has developed over time. Thus, while it may be difficult, it is clearly not impossible for external companies to become involved with the UW-Madison.
UIR
When participants were asked if the UW-Madison had an organization that served as its face to the business community, none knew. UIR was known to only a few participants, and they either knew little about it or disparaged it. Some worked with UIR on particular issues, but none of them were familiar with UIR's overall mission. One participant reported extremely negative experiences with UIR in which it purportedly refused to share information or lend help.
WARF
Conversely, the group raved about WARF. Those who work with it praised it roundly and mentioned that it has steadily improved over the last 12 years. Even participants unfamiliar with it claimed to have heard glowing commendations about WARF.
Tech Fairs
Participants were very enthusiastic about technology fairs and expressed hope that the UW-Madison would host more. As one participant said, .I don't know what I don't know, which makes the fairs tremendous sources of information. Respondents warned these fairs would need to be directly related to their fields in order for them to attend.
Group 2: Established Madison Companies
Tone of Group
This was a superb focus group as the participants were knowledgeable, thoughtful, communicative, and candid. The group established a very comfortable rapport with each other that allowed productive discussions and debates to occur. Further, all of the members contributed insightful comments.
Personal Contacts
Participants stressed the importance of personal contacts in navigating the UW-Madison.
Personal contacts often provide companies with the gateway they need to access other departments, faculty, and staff at the UW. Businesses rely on these personal contacts and typically call them first with any questions.
One participant recalled how his company struggled to navigate the UW-Madison until it finally established some strong personal contacts. His personal contacts now facilitate discussion between his company and the university, which makes it much easier for his company to find other contacts and information.
Breadth versus Depth
Participants claimed that UIR faces a daunting obstacle in attempting to be the University's front line in communicating with the business community. Several members of the group said that information from UIR would have to be very general in order to have mass appeal, but that this would diminish UIR's ability to speak in depth with particular businesses.
Conversely, participants said that they receive excellent and pertinent information from the departments with which they regularly interact, but that this information isn't very broad and thus is less useful for learning about other UW programs.
One solution may be to rely upon UIR to establish personal contacts between businesses and relevant departments. UIR would be responsible for sending out general information about the UW-Madison, while the individual departments would provide industry-specific information and serve as the access point for companies with questions.
Self-Reliance
Participants expect it to be difficult to navigate the university. Even with the assistance of personal contacts, group members understood that the UW-Madison is a large, decentralized organization that poses navigational obstacles. However, rather than demanding more assistance and guidance, these established businesses seemed understanding and accepting of the fact that they must show a high degree of self-reliance to gain access to faculty and staff.
Barriers to Access
Several participants stated that companies often find it very difficult to gain initial access to the UW-Madison. They claim that the UW maintains a relationship with certain inside companies, but that it makes it very difficult for outside companies to join this inner circle. One participant said that there seems to be a nebulous proving ground to which businesses are relegated until they are deemed worthy by the UW and granted insider access.
Commitment to Commercialization
Several participants accused the university of adhering to the old adage that professors shouldn't attempt to commercialize their inventions. Or as one participant put it, the university devotes lots of time to research but very little to development.
This was a sore spot with participants, as they believe that it benefits the UW-Madison, consumers, and businesses when the university quickly attempts to turn its intellectual property into marketable products.
The group said that it wants to see more and faster development and a commitment to profiting from the UW-Madison's excellent research.
Due to their perception that the UW-Madison holds an anti-commercialism stance, several participants speculated that UIR may have very different goals from the University's faculty and staff. They speculated that UIR may be attempting to commercialize more of the UW-Madison's intellectual property but would meet resistance from faculty and staff.
UIR
The group was virtually unaware of UIR, and even those who did know it, were uncertain what its goals and objectives are. The group suggested that UIR should run itself like a business by forming a clear mission statement, communicating this statement to businesses, and then doing customer research on the businesses with which it works in order to understand their needs.
WARF
WARF was roundly praised by the group and several participants noted that it has improved dramatically in the last decade. WARF clearly had a very strong, positive relationship among participants.
University Research Park
While not all participants were familiar with it, many commended University Research Park for creating synergy among many companies that study similar things. This campus of sorts was seen as an exciting way to spark more creativity and generate energy not found when businesses work in isolation.
Group 3: Established Milwaukee Companies
Tone of Group
The Milwaukee participants were far more negative about the UW-Madison than were the Madison groups. This group, while offering many valuable insights and opinions, focused exclusively on the UW-Madison's drawbacks. The group clearly felt like its city is neglected by the UW-Madison and found it hard work to create a relationship with the university.
Self-Reliance
The group expressed deep dissatisfaction with how much self-reliance is necessary to navigate the UW-Madison. Participants often accused the university of offering no easy way to access the opportunities it has to offer. Some participants wished for a compendium of all the projects being undertaken by the UW-Madison. Such a compendium would also include contact information and other issues, such as licensing opportunities.
Personal Contacts
The group strongly asserted how vital it is to have personal contacts at the UW-Madison.
Personal contacts are used to help navigate the system as well as to remain apprised of the latest technologies and licensing opportunities at the university. Participants also requested a single, permanent contact person who would serve as the nexus between the UW-Madison and businesses. Having a single contact was believed to improve communication and help disseminate pertinent information faster.
Outreach
Participants roundly criticized the UW-Madison for not reaching out to the business community and for offering only one-sided communication. The UW-Madison was accused of boasting of its accomplishments rather than asking the business community about its needs. Further, two participants accused the university of seeking only Band-aid solutions so that it can say that it has made an attempt to reach out to industry without really doing so.
UIR
Only one participant had any knowledge of UIR. One member asked if there was a central coordinating office, reflecting how little the group knew about UIR.
Mission and Business Model
The group also speculated about the UW-Madison's overall mission regarding the business community. Participants said that they would like to read a detailed explanation of UW-Madison's intentions regarding the business community.
The group accused UIR and the UW-Madison of being out of touch with the business world. They complained that the academic world moves far too slowly to succeed in business and that this must be changed. One participant suggested hiring experienced business professionals to run UIR, and he also suggested that WARF offer incentives to its employees to increase the speed of licensing new technologies.
Communication
The group had an animated discussion on where the onus for communication lies. Some participants insisted that the onus is on the UW-Madison. According to this argument, it is up to the UW to treat the business community as customers. As such, the UW must study its customers and learn how best to communicate with them and assist them in their work.
Others argued that such a plan is logistically impossible due to the overwhelming number of businesses. These participants countered by saying that it is up to businesses to approach the university, and it is up to the university to provide immediate direction once contacted.
Both sides agreed that they strongly preferred communication from the UW-Madison to be tailored and industry-specific.
The group realized that the UW-Madison cannot hope to communicate to all businesses all the time and still remain relevant. Thus, one participant suggested that the UW-
Madison simply pick a handful of industries with which it feels comfortable and focus exclusively on those industries.
Internships
Finally, the group would like to see more internship programs to help get UW students into local businesses. Participants believed that this would encourage UW students to remain in the area while providing Wisconsin businesses with bright young minds to hire.
Group 4: Mixed Appleton/Fox Valley Companies
Tone of Group
A wide range of opinions was displayed by the participants, and they were comfortable disagreeing with and debating each other. The entire group was very thoughtful and insightful and the members offered many good suggestions.
Barriers to Access
When asked to assess the UW-Madison's current communication with the business world, the participants said that they couldn't provide an evaluation due to their complete lack of communication with the university. This group felt the UW-Madison needs to do a lot more to stay in touch with the business community. One participant said that he would love a compendium of all of the opportunities and projects at the UW.
Communication
The group generally concurred that communications from the UW-Madison needed to be very focused and conveyed the main thrust of the communication immediately. One participant observed that a communication that began with the University of Wisconsin would strike him as far less relevant and important than a communication that immediately conveyed the main function of the communication.
The group also said that it wanted industry-specific communications so that people would know that communications from the UW-Madison will always be related to their interests.
Industry Chauvinism
The two participants in telecommunications felt like the UW-Madison has been completely ignoring their field. They worry that this will hurt their recruiting of employees while depriving students of the chance to learn about a rising industry.
While these members understand the university's focus on the industries that are most important to the state of Wisconsin, they suggested that the UW-Madison seek to form relationships with Wisconsin companies that are top players in industries less common in the state. The participants worried that by not doing so, the UW-Madison was excluding itself from potentially lucrative relationships with top companies.
UW's Mission
After dwelling on their various observations and experiences with the UW-Madison, the group decided that the most important thing for the university to do is to create a very clear explanation of the relationship they seek with business and then convey this to the business world.
The group insightfully observed that the lack of a clear mission statement may lead to false expectations by some businesses and industries, and this in turn could lead to negative criticism of the UW-Madison. Thus, participants felt that it is vital for the UW-Madison to explain its degree of commitment to the business world very clearly.
Understanding that the UW-Madison cannot be everything to everyone, they recommended a firm statement of purpose to clear up ambiguities.
Personal Connections
Participants repeatedly said that their hiring of UW graduates is what led their companies to have a relationship with the university. In fact, several participants can directly trace the inception of their relationship back to a few key hires.
However, while these alumni have created connections, these are often not full-fledged relationships. Thus, several participants said that their companies were involved with the
UW via a few employees, but because the UW never approached these companies as an organization, it doesn't always seem like a true relationship.
UIR
The group knew nothing about UIR, though several saw the potential of its utility.
The group felt that UIR's name was completely inadequate. According to participants, the name is too vague and fails to convey the image of an organization that acts as a front-line interface between the UW-Madison and the business community. Thus, the group strongly suggested finding a new name for UIR.
Inter-Campus Relations
The group accused the UW-Madison of fostering a competitive relationship with the other UW campuses. They would like to see the entire UW System work together and coordinate efforts. Some suggested that UIR be a front door not only to the Madison campus but to the entire UW System.
Group 5: Established Wausau Companies
Tone of Group
The participants offered a good cross section of businesses and they were all very responsive, enthusiastic, and forthcoming with their ideas and experiences regarding the UW-Madison.
Communication
The group felt very strongly that the UW-Madison does an inadequate job of communicating with the business community. While the participants were all convinced that there is an abundance of opportunities available at the university, none of them knew what they are or how to go about finding them. The group strongly advised the UW-Madison to better communicate the opportunities it offers.
The group also accused the UW-Madison of engaging only in one-way communication.
Participants said that the university releases information but that it doesn't heed feedback, nor attempt to predict and meet the needs of local communities.
One participant even chided the UW-Madison for holding these focus groups because, according to him, the business community is always giving the university feedback, but the university never seriously listens to it.
Business Model
The group openly ridiculed the UW for moving so much slower than the business world and for the bickering and lack of coordination among the UW campuses. The group felt that it is vital for all of the campuses to work together to improve the overall education of the state, and they called for an end to what they perceive to be internecine squabbling between various UW campuses. Several commented that no real-world business could ever use such a business model and expect to succeed.
UIR
The group knew absolutely nothing about UIR. When its function was described to them, they stated flatly that the fact that none of them were familiar with it was a clear indictment of its performance.
Internship
The group said that they have a very difficult time recruiting UW-Madison students to the Wausau area, and they pleaded for the university to initiate summer internship programs to help encourage Madison students to learn about the area. The group felt that such internships would allow them to better recruit Madison students.
Keeping students in the area is important to combat brain drain, the group felt. They worry that the UW is training highly skilled students who are leaving the state to work elsewhere. Therefore, they felt that it was in the UW's interest to initiate internship programs as a way to familiarize students with other parts of the state and encourage them to live and work in Wisconsin after graduation.
The group also stated that internship programs are necessary because students are currently hitting the job market with insufficient skill sets. While employers are pleased with students' knowledge in their particular field, they complain that students lack business training in areas such as management, leadership, and communications.
Internship programs, they argued, would expose students to the practical skills that they need to develop to be successful in the work force. In fact, several employers said that they frequently send their employees to training courses to make up for deficiencies in business knowledge.
If other employers feel the same way, this could provide an excellent revenue and out-reach opportunity for the UW-Madison, as it can market seminars and training courses targeted at those already in the workforce who could use more advanced training.
Research Focus
The group raised some bitter complaints about the way research is conducted at the UW-Madison. They felt that it is imperative for the UW-Madison to consult the business world about its needs before launching into research projects. Without consulting businesses first, they argued, the UW-Madison performs a lot of irrelevant research that cannot add value to the business community.
UW-Madison was accused of not being proactive enough in its research. Participants want to see the university put forth a concerted effort to learn how it can best help industry and to focus its research on these areas when it can.
Several participants from agricultural cooperatives angrily complained about their members funding research projects that they were then required to pay a licensing fee to access. In this way, these participants felt like they were paying for research twice, which seems grossly unfair to them.
Customer Relationship Management
The group urged UW-Madison to begin contacting state businesses and trying to learn about them and their needs. While this seems like a tall order, the group argued that if
UW-Madison is capable of making thousands of telephone calls to raise money, then it can make just as many calls to improve its service to the business community. The group accused the UW-Madison of not behaving like a good business, since good businesses always strive to know their customers intimately.
Outreach
The group would like the UW-Madison's Web site to be more business-friendly and suggested that an obvious link to UIR might be a great addition.
Further, participants said that they would prefer to have a single contact person at the UW-Madison from whom all of their communications would come. Having a single contact person would assure businesses that the communications they receive are always relevant and important.
Further, the group wants the UW-Madison to use its data-gathering efforts to create targeted and focused communications. The only way to make sure that communications are read, the group reasoned, is to make sure that recipients trust that every communication from the UW-Madison will be important and relevant to them. The group suggested that businesses be able to review all of the offered communications and publications and select the ones they would like to receive.
Group 6: Emerging Eau Claire Companies
Tone of Group
Participants in this group felt very slighted by the UW-Madison campus. Although the discussion in this group was very productive and the participants were helpful and forthcoming, they were also angry.
Disconnect
Participants stated that the western part of Wisconsin is routinely ignored and overlooked by the UW-Madison. The group felt this was a severe miscalculation by the university because the Eau Claire region is a very fertile area for emerging high-tech companies, and they were baffled by the UW-Madison's lack of interest and attention in their area.
Because they feel disenfranchised by the UW-Madison, many of the participants claimed to have looked to other Midwest universities for support. For instance, the University of Minnesota has a strong relationship with many businesses in the area because it offers business support, licensing opportunities, and an internship program.
Internship
Participants strongly desire internship programs. Not only do they need the staff, but they also want to expose more young people to their industries. By building relationships with undergraduates, companies hope to have more and better recruits in the future.
They said involving students in the business community through internship programs, tours, and other interactions serves a twofold purpose. First, it gives businesses access to bright, young minds. Second, it allows Wisconsin to retain some of the students it has educated, thus reaping the rewards of the next generation employees.
UIR
Many complained that navigating the UW-Madison was a difficult and daunting task and expressed a desire for a front-line organization. Only one participant was familiar with UIR, while the rest had never heard of it.
Mission
Participants also lamented that they felt completely out of touch with the UW-Madison's mission regarding the business community. They would appreciate the university issuing a clear statement of purpose regarding its business interactions and they would like more access to opportunities it offers.
Inter-campus Relations
Participants complained bitterly about the feelings of animosity between UW-Madison and other UW campuses, and they clearly placed the blame on UW-Madison. The Madison campus was routinely accused of elitism and snobbery, and the group clearly felt that this attitude was to the detriment of the entire region, not just the campuses. They felt that the business community would benefit from a cohesive, efficient UW System.
Research Focus
The group also wants to be kept more informed about research and opportunities at the UW-Madison. One participant in laser technology knew that the UW-Madison is doing research in his area, but he was unable to find out more about it. He and others want an easier way to learn about the UW and its many projects.