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A Celebration of Leadership: The Club Presidents Workshop
Amidst the fanfare that
marked October's official
dedication of Jon M.
Huntsman Hall, a group of
men and women came back
to school for another kind
of celebration. They gathered
in a conference room
in the Steinberg Conference
Center to explore the phenomenon
that keeps the
School's name and reputation
vibrant for all alumni:
the Wharton club network.
The occasion was the club
presidents workshop, a
hands-on, multipurpose
delving into the "Xs and
Os" of running a successful
alumni club.
Through a variety of
programs and events sponsored
by a network of 82
domestic and international
clubs, graduates of
Wharton have the opportunity
to meet and stay in
touch with other alumni of
the School. Membership in
a local Wharton club can
offer a variety of benefits,
such as professional development
programs, social
events, publications and career
management services.
The clubs work in partnership
with the Office of
Alumni Affairs and Annual
Giving on campus, and
they have the Clubs
Committee of the Alumni
Association Board as an important
management resource.
But at the end of
the day, these clubs are volunteer
driven: alumni gather
to plan programs,
manage finances, and market
their organization to
alumni in their area or
affinity.
The sessions at the club
workshop were led by those
who best understand the
challenges and opportunities
inherent in keeping
their Wharton "franchise"
thriving: club officers did
the talking and presented
their peers with examples
from their own groups' experiences.
Their Wharton
case studies examined establishing
a club, branding effective
programs, managing
volunteers, and reaching
out to new and young
alumni. They incited their
fellow volunteer leaders to
discuss their own lessons
learned in keeping a
Wharton alumni club
strong and running.
Clubs were represented
from Asia, Europe, Latin
America, Canada, and the
United States, as well as
those from affinity groups
in health care and private
equity. Also in attendance
were members of a newly-formed
group of women
from the Wharton
Executive MBA (WEMBA)
program, born in 2002
from the most successful
second-year class gift
campaign in WEMBA history.
While they are the
newest members of the
Wharton volunteer community,
the other people
gathered for the club workshop
represented literally
hundreds of years of volunteer
service to the School.
Dana Michael, W'82,
helped start the Wharton
Club of Hartford soon after
he left campus in the early
80s and has continued his
affiliation with the club network
as a member of the
board of the Wharton Club
of New York, and as co-chair
of the Alumni Association
Board's Clubs Committee.
Michael has gone to club
workshops throughout three
decades and acknowledges
how they have been "well-received
in the past . . . it
is a good way to stay connected."
Joy Butts, W'98,
co-chair of the Clubs
Committee, has not been
to as many of the workshops
as Michael, but nonetheless
found herself "overwhelmed
by the diversity of the group.
People went into the room
ready to talk and work.
There was a lot of energy."
It seemed appropriate
that the longest-serving club
president, Adam Weisman,
G'78, president of the
Wharton Club of Long
Island, had the last word on
the experience. Asked about
the club workshop and the
network in general, Adam
said that the clubs are "a reason
why people stay con-nected
and continue the
'Wharton experience' when
they leave campus and are
back in their communities.
Going back to the School
for something like the club
workshop adds yet another
dimension." For the volunteers
who joined him on
campus for the workshop,
and the many more who
join him in running the
clubs around the world, the
value of their Wharton affiliation
is lifelong and vital,
and is an ongoing cause for
celebration.
To find out about being a part
of the Wharton club in your
area, visit WAVE, the alumni
online community, at
wave.wharton.upenn.edu.
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