Martin names business school dean to coordinate strategy, development

Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin today announced the appointment of Michael Knetter, dean of the business school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as special assistant/liaison to the chancellor for long-term strategy and development.

Knetter, who orchestrated the 2007 gift that brought in $85 million from 13 donors to preserve the Wisconsin School of Business‘ name for 20 years, will stay on as the school’s dean. His new role in the chancellor’s office will be unpaid.

“The financial model for public universities has undergone significant change over time. Like our peers, we rely increasingly on private sources of revenue and the proportion of our budget that comes from private sources will increase over time,” Martin says.

“Mike has established himself as a thoughtful leader and an agent for positive change on the UW–Madison campus,” Martin adds. “In this new role, I will look to him to help articulate long-term strategies for the development of non-state sources of revenue.”

Knetter will head a task force charged with thinking about revenue-enhancing strategy for the university and establishing priorities for the promotion of financial stability and economic growth and opportunity.

He will work closely with leaders across campus and the university’s major partners — the UW Foundation, Wisconsin Alumni Association, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the University Research Park and the Office of Corporate Relations, among other entities.

“While the economic challenges and opportunities facing the campus are certainly different from those facing the business school, they share many common elements and require us to achieve even better relations and greater alignment with our stakeholders,” says Knetter. “I am honored to be part of this team that will help define and navigate a new course for this world-class institution.”

Prior to joining UW–Madison in 2002, Knetter was associate dean of the MBA program and professor of international economics in the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He is a former senior staff economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisors for presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and a current research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Knetter completed his undergraduate studies in economics and mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and his Ph.D. in economics at Stanford University.