School News

Deans Announce Renewal of Wharton/INSEAD Alliance
Dean Robertson and INSEAD Dean J. Frank Brown announced the renewal for four more years of the Wharton/INSEAD Alliance at an April 30th joint alumni event in New York City. Watch the BusinessWeek online video interview with the two deans. read news release

Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., and Art Bilger to Keynote MBA Commencement Ceremonies
Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., C’87, will speak on behalf of his father, alumnus Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., W’59, HON’96, as the featured speaker at the School's May 18th commencement ceremony in Philadelphia. On May 11, Wharton's MBA for Executives sixth commencement ceremony at Wharton West will feature Art Bilger, the managing member of Shelter Capital Partners, LLC.

New Online Alumni Community Launched
WhartonConnect, the new online alumni community, is now live. Alumni benefits include: enhanced search and profile management capability, an integrated calendar of events, easier event registration, improved navigation, automatic data synchronization, and a single sign-on for all Wharton websites. Please log on and see for yourself the enhanced features that have been incorporated into this user-friendly system. visit website

Mayor Nutter's Leadership Team Comes to Wharton Executive Education
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, W'79, brought one hundred of his key administrators to a two-day leadership program at Wharton's Aresty Institute of Executive Education. read more

Graduating MBA Students Earn Alumni Challenge Donation
With most students donating this year, the MBA Class of 2008 has earned the matching donation of $150,000 from alumni challengers Bob Levy, WG'74, ($50,000), John Sinnenberg WG’92, ($50,000), and Jess Ravich W’79 WG’79 ($50,000). One full-time MBA cohort achieved 100% participation, while the MBA for Executives classes on the east and west coasts both achieved 100% participation. The total MBA class gift was $798,619.47 (including the matching gifts). read more

Fashion Week Lures Top Retail Industry Talent
Kenneth Cole, famous for both his fashion brand and humanitarian efforts, spoke in Huntsman Hall as 2008 Fashion Week's keynote speaker, discussing his history in the fashion industry and his recent charity work for AIDs research. The Wharton Retail Club is an organizer of Fashion Week, along with Dzine2Show and Delta Sigma Pi fraternity. read more

Fortune Covers Wharton Student's Annual Warren Buffet Trek
In early April, Warren Buffet hosted 150 Wharton MBA and undergraduate students and spoke with them about a range of topics including the recent financial crises, market regulation, and his own business at Berkshire Hathaway. Fortune was invited to sit in on the day-long visit. read more

Wharton's Leadership Conference Draws Top Numbers of Corporate Leaders
A recent report by public relations firm Weber Shandwick entitled "Five-Star Executive Conferences" names the Wharton Leadership Conference as one of the most popular gatherings for C-level executives. read more about the Leadership Conference

MBA Team Tops the International Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition
Wharton students won the 3rd annual SVCIC MBA competition, hosted by UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School, in which teams evaluate business plans that incorporate financial profitability, environmental integrity and social equity from entrepreneurs actively seeking venture capital funding. read feature

Wharton MUSE Team Wins AMA Case Competition
For the third year in a row, Wharton's undergraduate team took top place in the 2008 American Marketing Association (AMA) Case Competition. read more

Wharton MBA Team Wins First Prize at Financial Engineering Case Competition
Wharton students proved their business acumen and analytical skills in derivative security valuation and financial engineering by placing first in this year's Financial Engineering Case Competition (FECC), hosted by the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. read more

Wharton VCIC Team Wins "Entrepreneur's Choice Award"
Wharton MBA students won the prestigious "Entrepreneur's Choice Award" at the 2008 Venture Capital Investment Competition Finals, a first at the VCIC International level. read more

Three 2008 Wharton Venture Award (WVA) Winners Chosen
The 2008 Wharton Venture Award (WVA) provides $15,000 to Wharton undergraduate juniors and MBA first-year entrepreneurs, allowing them to pursue their own ventures full time in lieu of a traditional internship. read more

Knowledge@Wharton

Gold May Glitter, but It Doesn't Stack Up as a Long-term Investment
Call it a gold rush, of sorts. Gold topped out at more than $1,000 an ounce in mid-March, up from about $680 a year ago. read more

'No Place to Hide': The Pressure on Companies to Address Global Warming Heats Up
The scientific community now overwhelmingly agrees that earth's 6.5 billion inhabitants are contributing to global warming through heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. read more

The Hard Sell: How to Market Products That Are No Longer Popular
Condos in Miami, traditional music stores, gas-guzzling cars, pharmaceuticals that get unfavorable press, foods made with trans fats: All marketers, from time to time, confront products that, for whatever reason, become difficult to sell. read more

Wharton School Publishing

New Wharton School Publishing Book
Fast Strategy: How Strategic Agility Will Help You Stay Ahead of the Game by Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen

Why do some companies fail to adapt to change, while others thrive on change, disruption and discontinuity? In today's constantly shifting business environment, if you can't adjust to change, you're doomed. This book shows you how to develop strategic agility in your business, so that your strategy is always up-to-speed and you stay ahead of your competitors.

Wharton faculty and staff can take advantage of expanded benefits, including discounts and free domestic shipping. Those who register to become a member can get free access to audio summaries, author interviews and other valuable member-only content. Visit www.whartonsp.com/facstaff to register and access benefits. All WSP books also are available at the Penn Bookstore.

For more, visit the Wharton School Publishing website.

Wharton Alumni Magazine: Spring 2008

The New World Order
Across the world, companies in emerging markets are acquiring assets in the U.S., Western Europe, and other developed markets. What does it all mean? read article

A World of Perspective
Professor Mauro Guillén on thriving in emerging economies. read article

Tales from the Trenches
Catching up with past Wharton Business Plan Competition winners - where are they now? read article

Wharton in the News

International Herald Tribune
March 1, 2008 — Todd Sinai, associate professor of Real Estate, was quoted in a story about home mortgage default.

Newsweek International
March 3, 2008 — Mauro Guillen, Dr. Felix Zandman Professor in International Management; professor of Management and Sociology; director, Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies, was quoted in an article about the profitability of companies with a large presence in emerging-market nations.

Associated Press
March 5, 2008 — Wharton School Dean Thomas Robertson was quoted in a story regarding Goldman Sachs' initiative to partner with Wharton and other schools to teach business and management skills to 10,000 women across the globe. (Similar stories appeared in Dow Jones News Service on 3/5, the Wall Street Journal and Ascribe News on 3/6, the BBC Monitoring Africa on 3/7 and numerous other outlets)

NPR
March 12, 2008 — Steven Kobrin, William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management, was interviewed on "Morning Edition" regarding the globalization of aircraft production.

ABC News
March 14, 2008 — Susan Wachter, Richard B. Worley Professor of Financial Management; professor of Real Estate, Finance and City and Regional Planning, appeared on "World News" to discuss the Bear Stearns bail-out.

The New York Times
March 15, 2008 — Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management; director, Center for Human Resources, was quoted in an article about how to recruit and retain capable workers.

Financial Times
March 19, 2008 — Research by Dean Foster, William H. Lawrence Professor; professor of Statistics, was cited in an article about prospects for the hedge fund industry.

USA Today
March 31, 2008 — Kartik Hosanager, assistant professor of Operations and Information Management, was quoted in a story about eBay and its new CEO.

Alumni in the News

Timothy Noonan, WG'97, director of The Boeing Company, was featured in an article about being a 2008 Henry Crown Fellow. The Henry Crown Fellowship is a program of the Aspen Institute and is designed to engage young leaders in a dialogue about leadership with a diverse group of their peers. (Aspen Institute, 3/28/08); John Forney, WG'90, was featured in an article about Raymond James & Associates, Inc. where he is national manager of the firm's general governmental public finance department. (The Bond Buyer, 3/27/08); Igbal Quadir, WG'87, executive director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was featured in an article about his plans to help the rural poor. (The Boston Globe, 3/24/08); Alan Zegas, W'74, past president of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, was interviewed about his professional career. (The Star-Ledger, 3/24/08); Marc J. Leder, W'83, and Roger R. Krouse, W'83, were featured in an article about the company they founded, Sun Capital Partners, Inc. (The Wall Street Journal, 3/10/08); Geof Rochester, WG'85, was featured in an article about his career and his involvement as the head of marketing for World Wrestling Entertainment. (Broadcasting & Cable, 3/17/08); and Stacy Blackman, W'93, was featured in an article about the Los-Angeles-based consultancy that she runs, which helps students get into college by emphasizing their strengths. (Fortune Small Business, 3/1/08).

If you have news or events you'd like considered for inclusion in the e-newsletter, please e-mail editor@wharton.upenn.edu.

Wharton Reunion Weekend
(May 16-18, 2008)

Wharton Commencement Ceremonies (Undergraduate, Graduate, and Doctoral)
(May 18, 2008)

Global Alumni Forum: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(May 30-31, 2008)

12th Annual Wharton Leadership Lecture: Emerging Trends in the Search for Leadership
(June 18, 2008)

Global Alumni Forum: Cape Town, South Africa
(June 26-27, 2008)