Reunion 2008
Mixing business with pleasure at a festive Reunion Weekend.
More than 1,300 alumni came for events that kicked
off on Friday, May 16 with professional education workshops
led by Wharton professors and alumni and ended
on Sunday, May 18 with an All-Alumni Brunch and
the traditional alumni processional during graduation
to welcome new degree-holders to the alumni fold.
Wharton professors including Michael Useem,
Richard Shell, Jeremy Siegel, and Monica McGrath led
talks on the latest topics affecting business, while
Dean Thomas S. Robertson reported on his vision for
the School’s future at a Wharton Town Meeting in the
Dhirubhai Ambani Auditorium of Jon M. Huntsman Hall.
At “The Entrepreneurship Perspective — Lessons
from Wharton Alumni,” one of three Friday afternoon
professional education workshops, Wharton alumni Jay
Minkoff, WG’83, president and CEO of marketing firm
First Flavor of Bala Cynwyd, PA; and Selwyn Isakow,
WG’78, founder and CEO of Bloomfield Hills, MI-based
Oxford Investment Group, discussed the motivations,
challenges, and rewards of owning a business.
“Your business will never play out like it does in
your business plan,” Minkoff told attendees. “You
have to have flexibility in your structure — your
money, your timeframe, your markets. You need
to plan for bad things happening — stuff will cost more than you thought, key people will leave, and
markets will evaporate.”
Friday evening, alumni mixed business with pleasure
at the MBA pub for the Class of 2003, a Class of 1998
kickoff reception on the 8th floor of Jon M. Huntsman
Hall, and an All-Alumni Reunion Class Mixer at Rae
Restaurant at University City’s Cira Centre, the first major
high-rise office building in Philadelphia to be constructed
outside of Center City.
The skies cleared on Saturday in time for alumni to
reconnect with friends in the Lehman Brothers Quad for
the traditional family picnic — an event many chose to
introduce new family members to the Wharton community.
Jared Mintz, WG’93, reported that he and his wife
were busy “showing our twin nine-month-old daughters
around their future campus.” The seasonable afternoon
gave reunion attendees and their families the
chance to enjoy a schedule of family and cultural activities
that offered something for everyone, from a family
trip to the Academy of Natural Sciences to a trolley
tour, and the 30th annual alumni run/walk. “At reunion
I was inspired to continue learning and connecting,”
said Juliana Bloembergen Dalton, WG’83.
Later in the day, Lauder alumni gathered at a reception
at the Lauder Lounge, and the MBA reunion classes
took over the ballrooms of the Loews Philadelphia
and Sofitel hotels.
Next year’s Reunion promises a lively mix of professional
programming, networking opportunities, and social
engagement. Mark your calendars for May 15-17, 2009.
Five alumni from reunion classes spanning 10 to 50 years share perspectives on their careers.
- Working to Refocus Japanese Higher Education
Yotaro Kobayashi, WG’58
- Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Robert Jaunich II, WG’63
- Paying Attention to the Personal Side of Business
Robert J. Hurst, WG’68
- Stocking Every Refrigerator in Chile
Claudio Engel, WG’83
- Building a Powerhouse
Lisa Pickrum, WG’98
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