Leadership Spotlight

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Transforming Geography: Expanding Wharton's Global Vision

The campaign supported initiatives including Wharton West and the Alliance with INSEAD, which have expanded the geographic reach of Wharton's education and research.

On August 2, 2002, David Pottruck, C'70, WG'72, president and CEO of Charles Schwab made the first simultaneous address to the WEMBA leadership class of Mike Useem, The William and Jacalyn Egan Professor and professor of management, in both San Francisco and Philadelphia. The first Internet-based videoconference between the two campuses took Pottruck back to Philadelphia without going more than a few blocks from his company's headquarters near the Bay Bridge.

"It is a little unusual,with the camera in front of you and the students at your back, so it is very much a theater in the round," he recalled. "To see their faces you have to turn your back to them. But I enjoyed the opportunity to reach a broader group of students. I had fun with it, and I always enjoy lecturing to Wharton students. They ask such penetrating questions."

The creation of Wharton West has had a tremendous impact on the School and the region. "Wharton West is fantastic," Pottruck said. "It has absolutely shaken up the entire business school community on the West Coast."

The capital campaign positions Wharton well for the future."We have momentum and visibility," Pottruck said."While we should never underestimate the strength of resources of some of our competitors, we now have greater flexibility and opportunity. We are blessed to be in a good position to move forward."

Although Wharton had international students in its first class, it averages 33 percent international students in its current MBA classes. During the capital campaign the School expanded its geographic reach and strengthened its position around the world. In addition to Wharton West, the School established an alliance for research and education with INSEAD, with campuses in France and Singapore, and encouraged alumni activities around the globe.

"Our role is the same as it has been since 1881 – to serve global business needs and really understand where global business is going," said Dean Harker. "That has been our mission since the beginning. We foster global outreach and bring that perspective back to campus to train the next generation of people who have to go out there and lead."

Transforming Giving: A Community United

Every part of the Wharton community contributed to the success of the campaign – including current students, faculty and alumni. They spurred one another to greater commitments through challenge grants and record levels of participation, increasing the momentum of the campaign and the School.

Beth Wade Nelson, WG'82, personally presented her challenge grant for the WEMBA class gift to students in Philadelphia and San Francisco. Nelson, a former music major who started as a secretary in a New York securities firm and worked her way up to become partner at Neuberger & Berman LLC, had commuted to WEMBA classes with about 30 classmates in Vance Hall two decades before. This experience gave her a heart-felt appreciation for the "incredible" facilities at Wharton West and the new Huntsman Hall in Philadelphia.

She discussed her career and told students about the importance of giving back, a message she herself heard from former General Electric CEO Reginald Jones, W'39, many years before. Jones, who had served as a University Trustee and Wharton Overseer, stressed the importance of board members making a significant contribution to the School, and Nelson never forgot it. "I have always felt a great deal of gratitude to the Wharton School," Nelson said. "Wharton filled in the holes in my background, and I took a much riskier job directly as a result of going to Wharton. I would not have taken that risk if I had not gone to Wharton."

Beyond the gratitude, there are also the "selfish" motivations for the campaign gift from Nelson and her husband Gary Glynn, WG'70, which included a major gift for a classroom in Huntsman Hall. "Those of us who already have degrees from Wharton need to protect the franchise," she said. "We need facilities that are world class and the School needs financial support. Wharton has historically done more with less,while Harvard and Stanford are much better endowed. Wharton just can't rest now. We have to take the next step."