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Bill Mack, W’61:
Technology as a
Shaping Force
“Technological innovation
brings together several disciplines
and provides a basis
for new things being done,”
Bill Mack says regarding
his recent gift to the Wharton
School. “It touches
on everything, from bio-tech
to engineering to the
Internet.”
The gift – a $10 million
donation made in1999 – has
established the William and
Phyllis Mack Center for
Technological Innovation
at the Wharton School.
Mack, whose business
arena is real estate, is president
and chief executive
officer of The Mack Company.
Instead of investing in a
real estate program, however,
Mack says he went through
a process of deciding how
his money could have a more
universal impact – not only
at the School, but in our
fast-changing world.
“I entered the situation
with an open mind,” he
explains. “I began by asking
[former dean] Tom Gerrity
and then Pat Harker what
they deemed to be priorities
for the School. The more
we discussed it, the more we
came to a situation where I
felt the future of the world
has to do with technological
innovation.”
The Center will be the
cornerstone of the Wharton
School’s efforts to understand
technological innovation
and its effects on all areas of
management. It will provide
graduate courses, a professorship
and a high-visibility
conference as well as support
for high-impact research and
publishing activities.
Mack says that he felt it
was important to support a
program that will provide a
service to the University, students
and the public. “Innovation
in technology is the
way mankind continues to
advance and make a better
place for itself,” he says.
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