Lubar School Of BusinessEdit

The Lubar School of Business is the business college of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It bears the Lubar name due to a philanthropic gift that helped expand facilities, attract faculty, and grow academic offerings. The school is accredited by the AACSB and serves a diverse student body pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional business education. Its mission centers on preparing students for productive careers and practical leadership in a competitive economy, with strong ties to the regional business community and to broader markets.

In keeping with a pragmatic approach to higher education, the Lubar School emphasizes market-relevant curricula, experiential learning, and measurable outcomes. Students routinely engage in internships, co-ops, and projects with local employers in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, technology, and financial services. The school also supports entrepreneurship and innovation through programs that help students start ventures, scale small businesses, or pursue intrapreneurship within existing firms. This focus on return on investment—both for students and for the communities they serve—has shaped its program design, faculty research, and industry partnerships.

History

The Lubar School traces its development to the mid-century evolution of business education at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, culminating in a naming gift that placed the Lubar family’s name on the school and related facilities. This philanthropy funded faculty hires, classroom modernization, and the creation of spaces dedicated to practical training, such as trading and analytics labs, career services, and industry-focused centers. Over time, the school has expanded its degree offerings and refined its emphasis on applied, cost-effective education that aligns with employer needs and regional economic priorities.

Academics

The Lubar School offers a range of programs designed to equip students with foundational knowledge and real-world skills.

Undergraduate programs: Bachelor of Business Administration programs and majors in areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, management information systems, human resources, and operations. These offerings are designed to prepare students for entry- to mid-level roles and for further study in graduate programs such as the MBA or specialized master’s degrees. See also Bachelor of Business Administration.
Graduate programs: The school provides a traditional full-time MBA, part-time and online options, and a portfolio of specialized master’s degrees in finance, information technology management, supply chain management, and related fields. These programs emphasize analytical capability, leadership, and the ability to apply theory to practice. See also MBA and Master of Science programs in business disciplines.
Executive and professional education: Short courses and executive programming aimed at working professionals and corporations seeking to upgrade management and technical skills. These offerings leverage the school’s connections to local industries and the broader Midwest business environment.
Online and regional offerings: Hybrid and online formats expand access to working adults and nontraditional students, aligning with a practical, results-driven view of higher education.

Faculty at the Lubar School conduct research across business disciplines, with an emphasis on topics that have clear implications for practice in the Midwest and beyond. Areas of inquiry commonly include finance and risk management, supply chain and operations, information technology management, accounting, marketing analytics, and entrepreneurship. The school maintains ties to industry through centers, institutes, and collaborative projects that translate research into tools and insights for companies and policymakers. See also Economics and Entrepreneurship.

Research and centers

Faculty collaborate with local and regional firms to study issues such as workforce development, corporate governance, real estate markets, logistics networks, and technology adoption. The school supports centers and initiatives that bridge classroom learning with hands-on problem solving, providing students with opportunities to participate in applied research and consulting projects. See also Cooperative education and Center for Economic Development (UWM).

Industry engagement and outcomes

A core priority of the Lubar School is to connect students with employers and real-world experience. The school runs career services programs, employer recruitment events, and internship pipelines with a broad network of regional companies. These ties help drive strong job placement, practical skill development, and a return on the education investment for graduates. See also Internship and Cooperative education.

The school also hosts a spectrum of student organizations, competitions, and entrepreneurship initiatives designed to build leadership and business acumen outside the classroom. Support for startups and small businesses in the Milwaukee area is seen as a practical catalyst for economic development, consistent with a business-school emphasis on efficiency, accountability, and value creation. See also Entrepreneurship.

Controversies and debates

As in many public universities with active business programs, debates exist over how to balance market efficiency with broader social goals. Critics often press for more expansive diversity initiatives, inclusive curricula, and campus activism; supporters argue that a focused, merit-driven education can deliver better ROI for students and taxpayers, while still upholding opportunities for underrepresented groups. From a market-oriented perspective, the Lubar School tends to emphasize outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and accountability—arguments frequently made in defense of streamlined programs, transparent credentialing, and data-driven assessment of employment outcomes. Proponents of this view contend that concerns about “wokeness” should not overshadow the core purpose of business schools: to prepare graduates who can compete successfully in a global economy and contribute to economic growth. Critics on the other side may argue that business education should explicitly address social responsibility and equity, while defenders contend that these goals can be pursued within a framework of merit and practical impact. See also Business ethics and Corporate social responsibility.