Wharton alumni built the School's new home, and on October 25
and 26 they came from around the world to celebrate it.
Two years ago, when Jon M.
Huntsman Hall was just
beginning to materialize as a
mass of steel beams and newly
poured concrete, the Alumni
Magazine interviewed Matt
Greene, WG'89, and Beth W.
Nelson, WG'82, about their
recent gifts to name rooms in
the building. Both seemed
excited to be a part of something
so big in the School's
history. Greene, who named
The Greene Family Study
Room, made certain that the
names of his wife, Tita, and
two sons – Matthew II and
Kobi – would appear on the
plaque. "Someday, if my kids
go to Wharton, they'll see
their names in the building,"
he said.
Although Matthew II and
Kobi are nowhere near the age
at which they would attend
Wharton, they did indeed
have the opportunity to see
their classroom and experience
Wharton's new home on
October 25 and 26. That
weekend, the new facility was
officially dedicated, and the
festivities drew more than
1,000 alumni and guests from
around the globe. Most had
been anxiously awaiting the
opportunity to finally see the
School's new home. And
many, like Greene and Nelson,
were looking forward to seeing
first-hand what they had
helped to build.
Nelson, along with her husband, Gary
Glynn, WG'70, named a classroom.
"It's important to remember that you
had a helping hand while achieving
your success," said Nelson, who is a
former principal of Neuberger Berman
LLC. While attending the dedication of
named spaces, both Nelson and Glynn
were shown around their classroom –
a tiered learning facility equipped with
state-of-the-art audio/visual and teleconferencing
equipment and a custom
instructor's lectern incorporating a
computer keyboard, laptop ports, a
microphone, and a master control system,
which adjusts audiovisual equipment,
lights, and room settings. "The
technology is incredible," Glynn said as
a Wharton staff member demonstrated
how the podium works.
Greene and his family actually had
the opportunity to see their room in
use: Dennis Tupper, W'03, and Sioban
Nolan, W'03, were working on a project
in the study room during the ded-ication
and provided a demonstration
of the room's "smart board" technology
to Matthew II and Kobi. (A "smart
board" is an electronic whiteboard,
connected to the room's computer, to
enable the information on the white-board
to be stored, e-mailed, or posted
to the Web.) "The room is fantastic,"
Nolan said. "It's been great to work on
projects together like this. I've spent a
lot of time in here already."
"I've never been exposed to the
opportunity to make such a tangible
difference," Greene said. "You can
actually visit and see what you've
helped to make happen. You can see
that you're part of something."
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