One of the unspoken divisions between Ivy League schools and public schools has officially broken. A recent article in the New York Times revealed the UW-Madison and Harvard are tied in the production of chief executive officers. Previously, Ivy League schools had always yielded the highest number of CEOs. The switch reflects the business world's need for diverse leaders who communicate in an everyday manner that demonstrates real-world experience.
'UW-Madison achieved this status through a campus culture which fosters CEOs,' said Roger Formisano, an adjunct professor at the UW-Madison school of business.
'We have a culture here; in many ways it's like Ivy League, since it promotes discussion about issues.' Formisano said. 'To some extent, I think it's a matter of that we get a good quality of student coming here. They get a great education exposed to research: cutting edge in whatever department they happen to be in.'
It is the talents of UW-Madison graduates, including strategic thinking, the ability to engage people, being able to execute decisions and the ability to manage change that take them to the top.
'When leaders stop learning, leaders stop leading,' Formisano added.
Today's leaders hail from two very different universities. Each of Harvard's 20,000 students paid $28,752 this academic year in tuition alone. In contrast, out of the 41,000 UW-Madison students, Wisconsin residents paid $6,220 (non-residents paid $21,060).
Associate rofessor in the School of Business Mason Carpenter noted, as public university students, Madison graduates have street smarts that extremely privileged students do not.
'Many of the people that come through here don't have all the resources that people in the private school system have. And they tend to have to sort of scramble a bit more, and that teaches them to improvise, teaches them humility, but at the same time it gives them the same competitive skills that they would get out of any other school,' Carpenter said.
There does not seem to be one specific major that places people in powerful roles. Some notable UW-Madison graduates illustrate the variety of majors that led them all to success. Former Whirlpool CEO David Whitwam graduated with a degree in economics. Kimberly-Clark Corp. CEO Thomas Falk has an accounting degree. Lee Raymond, head of Exxon Mobil Corp., graduated with a degree in chemical engineering.
The data on the CEO's is necessary, according to Formisano, because it reinforces the strength of this university and shows the footprint Madison makes. He said with the strong brand Ivy League schools possess, 'We should be delighted that we're in that set, that we can produce leaders that can influence the way things happen in the world.'
