Dear Fellow Alumni,

Fall is the time of year that most reminds me of being at Wharton. It also marks the first meeting of the Alumni Executive Board for the 2011-2012 school year. Together with Board Chair Robert Newbold, WG’99, we have planned an active fall schedule.

We met on October 13-15 with fellow board members and more than 100 alumni. Alumni visitors included club officers representing clubs from around the world and class ambassadors representing dozens of Wharton graduating classes. The focus of our gathering was to hear the latest developments at Wharton and to complete planning around our objectives for the coming year.

You should know that exciting initiatives in the area of lifelong learning, alumni engagement and alumni community building are underway. Our efforts in the coming year will focus on three key initiatives:

• Expanding alumni participation

• Making alumni affinity and organizational development easy

• Enriching alumni engagement with unique Wharton benefits

These important initiatives will be supported by four committees of the Alumni Executive Board, which will work closely with ambassadors, club officers, students and alumni to create meaningful progress. We are grateful to have such a dedicated group of Wharton leaders who so willingly give of their time and treasures to advance Wharton and the Wharton alumni community.

Rob and I look forward to updating you on progress throughout the year, and in the meantime, we ask that you do the following:

1) Update our profiles on WhartonConnect: The recently redesigned Alumni Directory makes it easier than ever to update personal and professional information and connect with classmates. Share your news, search for fellow alumni by profession, location, Wharton classes and more, and access alumni-only resources, including MBA Career Management tools.

2) Engage in person through alumni clubs and events: With more than 78 regional and affinity alumni clubs, there’s sure to be one that meets your needs—wherever in the world you happen to be. Annual Global Alumni Forums and Reunion Weekend events also offer exciting opportunities for alumni to network, socialize and collaborate.

3) Give back to the School: As Wharton students, we all benefited from the generosity of those who came before us. As alumni, it’s now our turn to “pay it forward” to benefit the Wharton community today. Making a gift to the Wharton Fund sends a powerful message about our belief in the value of a Wharton education. To learn more contact Wharton Alumni Affairs at: alumni.affairs@wharton.upenn.edu.

If everyone does their part we can ensure that the Wharton School remains strong and influential in the world.

L. David Mounts, WG’04