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When Joseph Ogunlade began digging into the connection between housing prices and college enrollment in Wisconsin, he was chasing more than data—he was chasing a deeper understanding of the American dream.

“Education and homeownership have long symbolized upward mobility,” says Joseph, an MBA student in the College. “But what we’re seeing now is that rising housing costs may actually be discouraging people from pursuing postsecondary education. That’s a major shift.”

With mentorship from Assistant Professor of Marketing Pallav Routh and support from the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute (NMDSI), Joseph set out to explore how housing affordability is impacting college enrollment trends across Wisconsin counties. His findings are eye-opening.

“High school graduation rates are improving, but enrollment in universities and technical colleges is declining, especially in smaller cities,” Joseph says. “Our data also show that male students are more affected by rising housing costs than female students, and unemployment plays a role in compounding the effect.”

Dr. Routh emphasizes the importance of this work. “At first glance, housing prices and education might seem unrelated,” he says. “But data science helps us connect the dots. These insights can point to real challenges for policymakers and communities.”

Funded by NMDSI’s Student Research Scholars Program, the project gave Joseph the time and resources to run complex models, clean data from multiple sources and explore nuanced relationships within the data.

“Without that funding and support, I wouldn’t have been able to dive so deeply,” Joseph notes. “This experience made me more inquisitive and passionate about housing affordability and its broader economic impacts.”

Dr. Routh agrees. “The NMDSI doesn’t just support research—it values the effort and curiosity behind it,” he says. “And that’s what leads to impactful, student-driven discoveries like Joseph’s that have tremendous potential.”

Joseph hopes his research will inspire policies that better support families balancing housing and education costs. “I want this to help schools, nonprofits, and local leaders support students who are quietly struggling,” he says.

As the project continues to grow, both Joseph and Dr. Routh see opportunities to expand the research through interdisciplinary collaboration and larger data sets. “This isn’t just about numbers,” Joseph says. “It’s about real people, real families and the systems that either support or limit their futures.”

After a year of thoughtful planning and wide collaboration, the Lubar College of Business has officially adopted its 2025–30 strategic plan. This new roadmap takes into account the vast changes in the higher education landscape and is intended to guide the College’s priorities and progress over the next five years.

The planning process was designed to be inclusive and forward-thinking. Faculty, staff, students, and business leaders all had a voice in shaping the plan. Input was gathered through surveys, focus groups, and a college-wide retreat that encouraged open conversation and creative ideas. Graduate and undergraduate students also shared valuable insights about their academic experiences and goals.

“This was a genuine collaborative effort,” said Dean Kaushal Chari. “Our new strategic plan reflects the values, strengths and aspirations of the entire Lubar community.”

The plan lays out substantial strategic priorities for student success, impactful research, engagement, financial sustainability and culture. Supporting objectives target enhancing academic excellence, empowering students to be successful, increasing community and industry engagement, and strengthening the College’s impact in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.

While the plan officially goes into effect on July 1, its momentum has been building for months. Faculty and staff voted in support of the final draft this spring, and metrics are already being refined to align with the plan’s goals.

As the College moves forward, the 2025–30 strategic plan will serve as a strong and flexible foundation in a challenging environment, ensuring that Lubar remains a leader in business education for years to come.