UW-Madison drops plan to revamp MBA program

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is suspending the planned revamp of its master’s of business administration program after a backlash over an imminent cutback.

The university’s School of Business is stopping further discussion of a planned oneyear suspension of its full-time MBA program after hearing from students, alumni and others, it was announced Wednesday.

“We moved too quickly without the broad consultation and discussion that our stakeholders can and should expect,” said a statement issued by Anne P. Massey, the school’s dean.

“We will move forward with discussions on how to grow the undergraduate program and expand the graduate portfolio while simultaneously strengthening the full-time MBA experience,” Massey’s statement said.

Massey said the school will ask its community members “to help guide those discussions and be part of our efforts.”

It was reported last week that UW may be ending its fulltime MBA program and instead offer shorter, more specialized degrees.

The business school’s possible changes are part of a broad study of its mission to “best serve students and employers,” UW said last week after the story broke in The Wall Street Journal.

That statement said the evening and executive MBA programs, which tend to draw older, part-time students, would remain.

The full-time MBA program has 104 students, the most enrolled since 2011, according to UW.