The Center of Centers

By Bill Shepard

More and more businesses are discovering the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Fluno Center, where top-level executive education is blended with gracious accommodations and dining experiences.

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For Mike Ewing, the time had come to boost his project management skills and expertise.

As director of product management for surgical operating microscopes at Leica Microsystems in Allendale, N.J., Ewing has spent about 70 percent of his time during the past 12 years managing new product development projects. But with his vast experience, he knew he couldn’t go just anywhere to enhance his project management acumen.

Out of the dozens of executive education programs in the U.S. and beyond, Ewing knew there was only one choice: the UW-Madison Executive Education at the Fluno Center.

“I had already been to Madison before, but when I took my first executive education course at the Fluno Center, it was a great surprise,” says Ewing. “The Fluno Center truly is a first-class operation. Its educational programs are outstanding, and the whole experience is simply remarkable. By applying what I have learned, I already have become more efficient as a project manager.”

For Ewing and thousands of others like him, the Fluno Center is a unique executive education oasis, enriching professionals with intensive educational experiences while pampering them with superior lodging accommodations and sumptuous cuisine.

In global business circles, UW-Madison Executive Education has solidified its reputation as a world-class executive education destination, as evidenced by its high marks from the Financial Times. In its May 16 issue, the Financial Times published its annual assessment of executive education programs around the world. The London-based publication listed UW-Madison as 15th in the United States and 26th in the world in overall rankings and 10th in the world for “value for money.”

And for the second year in a row, the Financial Times ranked Fluno first place in the world for food and accommodations.

Not bad for a facility that is just 5 years old that already has grown by 50 percent in programming within that time frame.

Fluno’s origins and operations at a glance

Interestingly, not a dime of taxpayer money was spent on building the Fluno Center. A major source of support came from Jere and Anne Fluno, for whom the center was named. A UW-Madison School of Business alumnus and former vice chairman and director of W.W. Grainger Inc., Jere Fluno donated $3 million. Other private contributions, along with the sale of $18.4 million in bonds, funded the rest of the center’s development, which cost $25.3 million upon completion. Programming fees pay for ongoing operations, so Fluno is self-sufficient.

While its executive education programs are managed by the UW-Madison School of Business, its Center for Advanced Studies in Business Inc., a nonprofit corporation, owns and operates Fluno. The global managed services giant, ARAMARK Corp., manages the hospitality side of the center’s operations, through its ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Inc. division.

Flexibility and variety of open enrollment programs

Educational excellence is at the core of the Fluno Center’s success.

“All of Fluno’s course offerings are geared toward customers’ needs, based largely on their feedback about what is of the greatest importance to them in their work,” explains Ted Beck, who served as the UW-Madison School of Business’ associate dean for executive education and corporate relations until last month. He has since left his position at its helm to become president and CEO of the National Endowment for Financial Education in Denver, Colo.

“The professionals Executive Education serves typically do not have a lot of time in their schedules to devote to educational development,” Beck adds. “That’s why our courses are short yet intensive, packing a lot of vital information typically into about three days. And they are repeated throughout the year, so they are available when customers can take them.”

More than 13,000 participants per year from more than 1,400 companies, government agencies and nonprofits worldwide take advantage of more than 280 public enrollment courses open to all qualified candidates.

In contrast, most other executive education programs typically average only 30-35 courses.

Of the more than 80 course topics covered, Fluno’s management and leadership courses are among the most popular, followed by project management, marketing, sales and operations.

“I am already applying the core concepts of UW’s branding course toward my company’s strategic branding plan,” says David Ellis, director of corporate business development for J.J. Keller and Associates, the country’s leading supplier of safety and compliance solutions, based in Neenah, Wis. “There is no question that we will get a great return on our investment as a result of the valuable information I received.”

The center also offers a series of 10 different certificate programs, including basic management, mid-management, project management and operations management.

And unlike most other executive education programs, UW-Madison Executive Education has its own dedicated full-time faculty who are uniquely qualified to keep program participants engaged during day-long lectures and presentations (as opposed to the typical university lectures that may last an hour or so).

Custom programs offer tailored learning

To further satisfy its customers’ needs, the Fluno Center also offers custom programming, and even custom certificate programs, specifically for individual customers.

“With custom programming, Executive Education develops partnerships with companies and other entities to determine their needs and goals, and then it structures custom programs accordingly,” says Beck.

Custom programs can be delivered at company sites, the Fluno Center, or at third-party locations. Faculty often teach in collaboration with company staff or industry experts, and the overall impact of custom programs is measured jointly with the participating institutions.

Public/custom programs, an innovative hybrid

The Fluno Center also delivers combined public/custom executive education programs. The faculty works with customers to determine needs, priorities and goals, and in turn recommends which public enrollment courses to take, along with the order in which they should be taken, either for employees in certain departments or for those with specific job functions.

In addition, Executive Education faculty meet with attendees outside the classroom to discuss the application of public program topics to specific company projects or issues.

By taking part in public/custom programs, participants benefit from existing public enrollment courses and by interacting with co-participants from other companies and institutions. At the same time, the individualized follow-up sessions with Executive Education faculty help participants leverage what they’ve learned to address unique problems and challenges at their respective companies.

Total immersion learning in a gracious environment

“Attending courses at the Fluno Center helps its customers totally immerse themselves in what they’re learning,” says Beck. “You’re away from phone calls, meetings and other distractions, so you can maximize your entire learning experience by focusing your undivided attention on the courses at hand.”

An integral part of the “total immersion” concept is the impromptu networking with peers that typically results when enrollees from various companies attend courses at the Fluno Center. The center’s well-appointed environs include a variety of places where participants can meet, either one-on-one or in small to large groups.

On the mezzanine adjacent to Fluno’s Howard Auditorium, program participants can chat while enjoying gourmet coffee, pastries, fresh fruit and other snacks. The Study Pub is a popular networking hub, complete with a bar, pool table and relaxing lounge chairs and tables, offering a cozy environment where guests may continue their learning experience beyond the lecture hall. It’s also a convenient meeting spot for UW-Madison faculty and staff. Participants also can meet and exchange ideas in the Fluno Center’s dining area, in small conference rooms and comfortable lounge areas. Or they can discuss the day’s events while working up a sweat in Fluno’s Fitness Center.

Superior staff, accommodations and dining

Besides professionally enriching educational programs, the Fluno Center offers participants a gracious hospitality experience they’ll never forget.

And it all boils down to the carefully planned details.

Comfortable Arts and Crafts style furnishings in each of the center’s 100 rooms that reflect the Frank Lloyd Wright design influences throughout Fluno. Desk areas in each room are fully wired for high-speed Internet access and are equipped with direct dial two-line telephones and sleek Web-ready computer terminals.

But people make the real difference.

Jeff Butler, general manager of the Fluno Center for ARAMARK Harrison Lodging comments: “From the very beginning, our job has been to create a world-class experience for our guests — something we focus on every day.”

Butler describes Fluno’s courteous, professional and service-minded staff as “nimble, quickly able to adapt to new situations and empowered to meet and exceed guests’ expectations without hesitation.”

And then there’s the mouth-watering food.

Highly trained chefs prepare succulent cuisine, from the exotic, such as tandoori grilled shrimp or Thai marinated swordfish, to the more familiar, such as Wisconsin brats and sauerkraut.

An experience unlike any other

Ask any of the thousands of professionals who have been enriched by the Fluno Center, and they’ll assure you that it is an experience unlike any other.

“Businesses are constantly re-tooling and educating their employees to meet future demands,” says Collette Sorgel, vice president of marketing and customer service of TDS Telecom, based in Madison. “The Fluno Center offers it all: excellent educational programs in a wonderful, gorgeous setting.”

Or as Ellis succinctly put it, “In my book, the Fluno Center gets an A-plus rating.”

Visit our archives to read articles from previous issues of the UW Business Wire.