Wharton School Adds Undergraduate Secondary Concentration in Retailing

Nov. 17, 2005 — The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has announced the addition of a secondary concentration in retailing, which will provide students with a deeper foundation for successful careers in retail. The new curriculum will be offered to Wharton undergraduate students and will be administered by the School’s Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative, which was established in 2003 through a $10-million gift from Patty and Jay H. Baker.

“This new secondary concentration is a significant milestone for the Wharton School and the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative,” said Wharton Dean Patrick Harker. “The University of Pennsylvania is one of the only top international universities with curriculum focused specifically on retailing.”

Stephen Hoch, director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative, chairman of the School’s Marketing Department, and the Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor, added, “The study of retailing has become increasingly popular with Wharton undergraduates in the last 10 years, new student clubs have been established, and the retail industry has begun to develop a deeper relationship with the School. All of these factors provide a strong demand for retailing-focused coursework on campus.”

Undergraduate enrollment in the “Principles of Retailing” course has nearly doubled since the 1990s, necessitating the creation of a second section in 2004, bringing an annual enrollment in the course to over 90 students per year. And in the past two years, two clubs have been formed with a focus on the retail and fashion industries, each with over 70 members.

Also, the School’s activity in the retail industry has significantly increased. In addition to hosting more executive lecturers on campus from the retail industry, the increase in undergraduate students accepting internships and jobs in retailing has more than doubled since 2003.

The Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative was established at Wharton in 2003, thanks to a gift of $10 million from Patty and Jay H. Baker, who earned his undergraduate degree from Wharton in 1956. Jay Baker, a former president of Kohl’s Corporation, felt a strong introduction to retailing played an integral role in attracting him to the industry. He also observed a trend of diminished focus on retail education at top schools, declining interest in retail careers from top students, and fewer relationships between retailers and top universities. To reverse this trend, he combined his passion for retail with the strengths of the Wharton School to create the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative, an educational “industry center” with the sole focus of exposing students to the dynamic opportunities and challenges a retail career presents.

Other notable Wharton School alumni in the retail industry include: Roger Farah, president of Polo Ralph Lauren, Richard Galanti, executive vice president and CFO of Costco Wholesale, Brendan Hoffman, CEO of Neiman Marcus Direct, Michael Kowalski, chairman and CEO of Tiffany & Co.; William Lauder, CEO of Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.; Rebecca Matthias, president of Mothers Work, Inc.; Charles Turlinski, CEO of Limited Stores, Limited Brands Inc.; and Stuart Weitzman, president of Stuart Weitzman, Co. Many of those alumni sit on the advisory board of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative.

Other board members include: Paul Charron, chairman and CEO of Liz Claiborne; Mindy Grossman, vice president of global apparel for Nike, Inc.; Richard Hayne, chairman and president of Urban Outfitters; Terry Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Federated Department Stores; Gary Muto, president of Forth & Towne, Gap, Inc.; and Burton Tansky, president and CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized around the world for its academic strengths across every major discipline and at every level of business education. Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school in the nation, Wharton has approximately 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and doctoral students, more than 8,000 participants in its executive education programs annually, and an alumni network of more than 80,000 worldwide.