Dana Bald ’08 (right), a candidate for the MBA program, talks with Jamie O’Brien (Business Administration).

MBA Hopefuls Waste no Time Following Launch of New Schneider Program

Not 24 hours after a reception to launch St. Norbert’s new MBA program, applications for one of the first 35 spots began landing on the desk of Brenda Busch B.A. ’93, M.L.S. ’13 (Admissions).

Busch, the college’s associate director of graduate recruitment, joined the staff last fall and hers is the task of recruiting the first class of students. It’s a cohort that will set the tone for a program that has already drawn widespread interest from the business community in northeast Wisconsin, as well as from young professionals – among them, the college’s own alumni.

The first students begin their studies this fall semester; a second cohort of 15 will begin in Spring 2016. The Schneider MBA program – housed in the new Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics – is designed around evening courses held on campus and in the classroom. A combined experience of classroom and online learning may be incorporated as the program grows.

Busch says, “As an undergrad alum and then a graduate of St. Norbert’s Masters of Liberal Studies program myself, it is an indescribable honor to be part of this excitement and this piece of SNC history!

“I hope that by the time these first students take a seat the evening of their first class, they appreciate the magnitude of our commitment to their success. I hope they are compelled to immerse themselves in the unique St. Norbert learning experience – on campus, with the incredible learning resources available to them, and off, through the college’s relationships with the business community, and through the experiences of their own classmates.”

A program with a difference, to make a difference
The business community of northeast Wisconsin has great respect for the Schneider organization, the legacy of Don Schneider, and St. Norbert College, says Busch. Weaving the business values and learning philosophies of these organizations together creates an MBA experience unlike any other, and prospective students identify this.

The MBA program will be able to tap into the college’s deep roots in business education and also its longstanding connections in the regional business community, she adds. Students will be able to get to know those who are shaping and growing the future of northeast Wisconsin, just as they prepare to take their place among them.

Funds to launch the proposed MBA program were part of a $7 million gift from the family of one of northeast Wisconsin's legendary business leaders and entrepreneurs. Pat Schneider, widow of Don ’57, made the donation that has established the school of business and economics in his name, as well as the MBA program housed therein.

Business classes have been offered at St. Norbert almost from the time it opened in 1898. But President Tom Kunkel says the creation of the Schneider School and the MBA program will allow the college's strong business and economics programs to reach an even higher level of excellence, as well as better serve the region.

March 3, 2015