Austin E. Cofrin School of Business

The Austin E. Cofrin School of Business is a division of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay offering preparation leading to undergraduate degrees in business administration and accounting and a master’s degree in management. The school is named after the entrepreneur who founded the Fort Howard Paper Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which became one of the world’s largest paper manufacturers.[1]

History

Students have studied business administration and accounting at UW-Green Bay since the school’s inception in the late 1960s.

Dr. David A. Cofrin, shortly before his death in August 2009, announced a $5.5 million gift to the University in memory of his late father, Austin E. Cofrin. It was the largest single private gift for academics in the history of UW-Green Bay. The contribution created a fully endowed chair (an additional faculty position in business), and funded a permanent, universitywide endowment for faculty development and academic enhancements.[2] The university's Chancellor Thomas Harden announced that, effective July 1, 2010, the name Austin E. Cofrin School of Business would apply to the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs in business and accounting.

Enrollment

The University’s academic programs in business and accounting date to the school’s founding in the late 1960s and as of fall 2013 account for about 6,400, or roughly one-fifth, of the institution’s 31,000 alumni.

There are more than a thousand current undergraduate or graduate students in the Cofrin School of Business. About 500 undergraduates list Business Administration majors, 150 list accounting majors, and another 350 carry minors in business, accounting or international business. Students choose from degrees or areas of emphasis in accounting, business administration, finance, human resources, management, marketing, and international business. The master’s of management and sustainable management programs currently enroll about three dozen students.[3]

Faculty

The School lists more than 30 faculty members, making it the largest program at UW-Green Bay. Lucy Arendt, an associate professor of management, is director of the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business and associate dean of the College of Professional Studies. Sue Mattison is UW-Green Bay’s dean of the College of Professional Studies. The senior faculty member in the Cofrin School of Business is Prof. Meir Russ, who teaches courses in management and marketing. He is a consultant to several multinational companies in the areas of global strategic management and knowledge management, and serves as the founding editor of The International Journal of Management and Business.

Accreditation

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and its academic programs hold a full 10-year accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Austin E. Cofrin School of Business is in the process of becoming accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The School of Business has several committees and task forces working to address required elements related to curriculum, assessment and student success.

Annual Business Week

The College and its students are showcased each spring during Business Week. In April 2013 there was a job fair, a panel presentation by alumni offering advice to current students and career-related workshops. The annual campus-community Business Week dinner featured a keynote by Betsy Michell, vice president of organizational development for the Green Bay Packers.[4]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "A. E. Cofrin biography, 1996 inductees". Paper Industry International Hall of Fame, Appleton, Wis. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Austin E. Cofrin School of Business is new at UW-Green Bay". UW-Green Bay. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Fact Book: Majors and Minors". UWGB Office of Institutional Research.
  4. ↑ "Business Week 2013 summary". Cofrin School of Business. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "25 notable alumni". UW-Green Bay. Retrieved 4 November 2013.

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