University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Common Questions

• Does my organization have to be a particular size or type to make best use of UWM Executive Programs?
• How expensive is it to develop and implement a custom program?
• How will I be able to tell if my organization’s investment in the program was worthwhile?
• How long does it take to put a custom program together?
• I want to investigate the possibility of creating a custom program for the managers and executives in my organization with UWM Executive Programs. What should I do?

Does my organization have to be a particular size or type to make best use of UWM Executive Programs? The custom programs work we do is with larger organizations. That typically means a firm with 50 - 100 or more mid-to-upper-level managers or potential managers; annual revenues of typically $50 - 100 million dollars or more; and participant class sizes that start at 25 or more participants. We specialize in higher-scale programs because our faculty is skilled in dealing with larger participant groups and our facilities are tailored to meet the learning needs of those larger groups.

We do, however, work with small learning groups of 8 to 15 at the senior executive level. And large and small firms alike can profit from their key leaders’ participation in the Strategic Leadership Series.

How expensive is it to develop and implement a custom program? The price we quote you for a custom program covers needs assessment, curriculum customization and design, skilled interactive instruction, program materials and program evaluation and follow-up for each day of a session, as well as on-site logistical support. Typically, organizations can send 25 to 35 or more participants to each program offering for the same investment. Economies of scale work very well to bring down the per-person cost of each program to a rate that is very competitive with what one individual might pay elsewhere for a non-customized program on the same topic.

Unique programs that require extensive customization to work in lock step with an organization’s existing systems or processes usually entail a larger up-front investment to do the work required to get the details right. All of the details of the required investment are specifically set forth in a contract submitted to each of our clients for their review and approval before we formally begin any program work.

Travel expenses for participants and instructors, refreshments, meals, parking, session mementos and other logistical expenses are in addition to the investment outlined above.

How will I be able to tell if my organization’s investment in the program was worthwhile? Over the years we’ve discovered that the best way to help participants in Executive Programs transfer program concepts and skills to the workplace is to challenge them to create and execute an action plan.

Hundreds of Executive Program participants over the years have identified one or more professionally and organizationally meaningful projects that they elect to work on. These projects can range from individual improvements to a participant’s leadership or management skill set all the way to organization-wide change initiatives that dramatically impact the direction or scope of a department or the organization itself.

Identifying and reporting on these individual action plans is the signature of every UWM Executive Program. The process itself and the learning that results have grown to become one of the most highly rated elements of each of the programs we deliver.

And there’s no better way to demonstrate the value of the return on the dollar investment that each organization makes in the Strategic Leadership Series or a custom Executive Program.


How long does it take to put a custom program together? It really depends on the nature of your program. An extensive program, tied closely to an organization’s existing systems and processes, might take three to six months to create and launch. A program designed to address a more general need can typically get off the ground successfully in 60 to 90 days from the time we first discuss it. We’re committed to working with each client to meet that client’s particular time frame.

I want to investigate the possibility of creating a custom program for the managers and executives in my organization with UWM Executive Programs. What should I do?That’s the easiest question of all. Please click here or give us a call at (414) 229-6519.