Can you make money and save the planet - Carlson School of ...

8 Questions:
Mary Maus Kosir
Until 1996, there were no freshmen in the
Carlson School’s Undergraduate program.
A decade later, almost 450 of them are
enrolled.
Such growth is part of a strategy that’s
been shaping up over the past several
years, in response to increasing demand
from prospective students.
It started when the school first
admitted freshman in 1996 and interest in
the program skyrocketed. Since then, the
numbers have stayed strong—including
retention and graduation rates, which
are the highest on the University of
Minnesota campus. “We see more than
90 percent who start with us finish with
us,” says Mary Maus Kosir, the Carlson
School’s assistant dean, Undergraduate
program. “Our four-year graduation rate
is about 70 percent, of which we are very
proud.”
Kosir, who has been with the
Carlson School for 13 years, including
the past three as assistant dean, has
played a pivotal role in the expansion
of the program. As she anticipated next
September’s grand opening of Hanson
Hall, the new building that will house the
program, she found time to talk about
the Undergraduate program and her
excitement for its future.
24 University of Minnesota
Q. what’s the driving force behind the Carlson school’s push for growth
and change in its undergraduate program? We’ve got a tremendous
amount of interest from prospective students, parents and the local business
community. We approached 4,000 applicants for the Fall 2007 class, which
shows that demand for our program has just skyrocketed. We’ve seen doubledigit
increases in applicants since I began in this position three years ago. Also,
the business community is looking for talented entry-level employees. Carlson
School graduates get a great education and do solid course work. Employers
can train those graduates as needed for specific roles and responsibilities.
Q. How important is the construction of Hanson Hall to the
growth of the undergraduate program? Hanson Hall is what will
allow us to grow our undergraduate population by 50 percent. By the
time we’re in Hanson Hall a year from now, we’ll be well on our way to
achieving our goal of increasing student body size by 50 percent.
mary maus Kosir
Q. Hanson Hall is certainly a physical symbol of the growth and change,
but what else is changing? The Undergraduate program is changing
dramatically. During the last academic year we invited three undergraduate
deans from other business schools to look at our program and provide feedback.
That was followed by a rigorous curriculum review by our undergraduate
faculty advisory committee. Now we’re revamping our curriculum. The
new curriculum, which will be launched in fall 2008, has four signature
experiences, including a required freshman course in contemporary business
management, an immersion core during the spring semester of the sophomore
PHOTOGRAPH By SARA JORDE