|
A Strategic Plan in Progress
DEAR FELLOW ALUMNI:
In May, Wharton held its
annual Alumni Leadership
Conference in Philadelphia.
An impressive number of
Alumni Club leaders from
around the world participated,
some in person and
some via the Internet, along
with school administrators.
The Conference focused on
opportunities for further
outreach and growth among
Club Presidents, and was
a great opportunity for attendees
to meet their fellow
leaders, share best practices
and learn from others' experiences.
One of the principal
areas of discussion during
the day-long conference was
technology—specifically,
how to harness systems to
integrate and increase alumni
interaction and participation.
The conversation was
animated and probing, as
participants demonstrated
their desire for and commitment
to the development
of increased connectivity
among alumni.
As I listened to the
conversations and the
ensuing post-conference
discussions between
members of the School's
staff and the Alumni
Board's Technology
Committee, it occurred
to me that the information
technology goals
of these alumni leaders
mirror those of the
Board as a whole. They
reflect a shared desire for
expanded communication
and access, and for
opportunities to leverage
our resources, build more
responsive organizations,
research and identify needs,
explore alliances, and celebrate
achievements.
As part of the Board's
strategic planning process
for the next two years,
our five Board committees
(Student Alumni,
Global Clubs, Marketing
Communications,
Development and Reunion,
and Technology and
Information Management)
are currently formulating
their individual goals. These
are not yet crystallized, but
broadly, they will address
our continued commitment
to building a world-class
organization—one that
enables every alumnus to
connect easily with fellow
alumni, valuable resources,
school administrators and
potential employers. We are
in the process of building
tools and systems that offer
seamless communication;
simple identification and
matching of interests, profiles
and resources among
alumni; systems for volunteering,
giving, and joining;
and expanded access to
ideas and resources. And
we are developing processes
to welcome new members
and engage those who have
been disconnected from the
network, offering all alumni
greater opportunities to
connect.
Finally, and equally
important to this building
process, we are working
with the Alumni Affairs
staff to prepare for the 2006
celebration of the School's
125th anniversary and the
founding of management
education. As the year approaches,
you will be hearing
more about the events
planned for these significant
milestones.
As always, if you are interested
in becoming more
involved in any of these endeavors,
please contact the
Alumni Affairs office at alumni.affairs@wharton.upenn.edu or
contact me directly.
We welcome your ideas and
engagement. Thank you for
your interest and support.
Vige Barrie,
CW'74, WG'76
Chair, Wharton
Alumni Association
315.859.4623 office
vbarrie@hamilton.edu
|
