Financial Times Ranks Wharton MBA Program #1

For the second year in a row, the Financial Times has ranked Wharton first among 100 full-time international MBA programs. Published in January, the survey specifically cited Wharton’s strength in research and alumni job placement.

The New Face of WAVE

Have you visited WAVE http://wave.wharton.upenn.edu lately? A new version of the School’s alumni website allows alumni to communicate with one another more easily, as well as get information about what’s happening at the School. Access from the homepage to the online directory, lifelong e-mail, and mailing lists has been made simpler. In addition, the homepage will feature more up-to-the-minute news from the School, as well as spotlight new services for alumni.

These are the first steps in the “next WAVE” of online services designed to keep alumni in better touch with one another and the School. Check future editions of the Wharton [Connect] e-newsletter, as well as the WAVE site, for announcements about other new programs. If you haven’t yet registered for WAVE, visit the site today—registration is free and takes only a few minutes.

Contribute Your Insights for Research

Here’s an unusual way to give back to the Wharton School. Wharton has entered into a research alliance with Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm, in which our faculty members develop online surveys to further their research. Regardless of what point you are at in your career, you can support Wharton’s research by agreeing to become a business panelist and completing a few brief surveys during the course of the year.

These findings will benefit faculty researching a broad range of current issues and opportunities affecting business growth. Wharton alumni are invited to join the panel by linking to http://whartongartner.surveyweb.com/wharton/index.html. As a token of appreciation for your participation, panelists will be able to select valuable research reports from Gartner upon completing each survey.

Wharton Welcomes New Development Director

Wharton’s Associate Dean for External Affairs, Steven Oliveira, has announced the appointment of Linda N. Dalch as the School’s new Executive Director of Development.

Dalch will be responsible for the management of the School’s development office and will direct activities related to the Campaign for Sustained Leadership.

Before coming to Wharton, Dalch served as the President of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) in Richmond, VA. Under her leadership, VFIC exceeded all prior fundraising records for the foundation. She also served as the President of Tek.Xam, a unique information technology exam used nationally that certifies problem-solving and technology skills for liberal arts students, and she is currently a member of the organization’s board.

Prior to VFIC, Linda served as the Director of Leadership Gifts at the Darden School at the University of Virginia where she developed, implemented, and managed regional campaigns for the Campaign for Darden, as well as a program for training and managing volunteers. She also served as the Director of Development for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business where she established the school’s first development office and directed its first capital campaign.

“Linda brings excellent fundraising, leadership, and management experience to our organization,” Oliveira said. “She will play an integral role in implementing the strategy to bring the Campaign to a successful conclusion and in building a strong, long-term development operation for Wharton’s post-campaign era.”

Connect-ing with the Hong Kong Club

A January Wharton “Connect” event in Hong Kong provided the perfect opportunity for Wharton Dean Patrick Harker and other School administrators to meet and mingle with members of the Wharton Club of Hong Kong. The Club was scheduled to hold its official opening with Wharton administration present last September, but plans for the Dean’s visit were postponed in the wake of the attacks on September 11.

The Club was founded in 1999 by Paul Cheng, WG’61 (Founding Chairman), Joseph W. Ferrigno, III, W’67 (President), George Hongchoy, WG’91 (Vice President), and Patrick Ma, W’80 (Treasurer). The purpose of the Club is to facilitate networking and interaction among alumni located in Hong Kong and other alumni in the Asia Region, prominent people in the Hong Kong community, and Wharton faculty and administration. Among its objectives are providing a forum to explore critical issues, the latest business trends, and cutting-edge issues; introducing those visiting Hong Kong to fellow alums and familiarizing them with the culture; and supporting the Penn Club of Hong Kong in its activities, working jointly with them on scholarships and other programs.

To learn more about the Wharton Club near you, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu/alumni/clubs.html.

News Briefs

Lieberfarb

Warren Lieberfarb, W’65, President of Warner Home Video, visited Wharton to speak as part of the popular Musser-Schoemaker Leadership Lecture Series in February. Lieberfarb, who is known as the “architect of the DVD,” described the evolution of the DVD as a necessity for his company to avoid being put out of business. His efforts led to a single DVD standard being accepted by the consumer electronics, computer, and entertainment industries.

Also in February, Wharton announced the establishment of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Fellowship Fund. Endowed by Lawrence S. Bloomberg, the $250,000 fellowship is the first to specifically provide financial support to Canadian MBA students at the Wharton School.

Humana Inc. and the Wharton School have announced that Humana has become a corporate partner of the School’s Center for Health Management and Economics. Humana joins a select group of firms representing employers, payers, providers, distributors, and manufacturers that will create a living laboratory for leading-edge research on health care management, health economics, and policy.

Infosys Technologies and the William and Phyllis Mack Center for Technological Innovation at Wharton will jointly present the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award to recognize organizations that have transformed their business or industry through the creative application of technology. Awards will be based on the level of innovation, thought leadership, and transformational results and will be presented in May 2002.

Alumni in the News

According to the Wall Street Journal (2/1/02), the following alumni recently were appointed Managing Directors at Goldman Sachs: Lori B. Appelbaum, W’86; David A. Fishman, W’86; Elizabeth C. Groves, WG’91; Peter Labbat, WG’93; Eric S. Lane, W’96; Ryan D. Limaye, Eng’93, W’93, WG’93; Jefferey S. Sloan, C’89, W’89; and Michael Y. Yao, W’90. USA Today (1/31/02) reports that Stephen Cooper, W’70, has been hired as interim chief executive officer and chief restructuring officer for fallen energy giant Enron. Cooper said he is not interested in Enron’s past problems, preferring to look ahead at what looks like a monumental challenge. Related articles appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Nicole Piasecki, WG’90, was profiled in an article for the Seattle Times (1/29/02) about her recent promotion to vice president of business strategy and marketing at Boeing, which makes her the highest ranking woman directly involved with aircraft strategy at the aerospace giant. Robert J. Hurst, WG’68, was profiled in an article for BusinessWeek (1/21/02) on his position as chief executive of the 9/11 United Services Group, overseeing the dispersion of more than $700 million to victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Hurst, who is currently vice-chairman of Goldman, Sachs, said that he wanted the assignment because he wanted to do more than give money.

Rhone

Sylvia Rhone, W’74, was profiled in the December 2001/January 2002 edition of Ms. Magazine as one of its Women of the Year. According to the magazine, Ms. Rhone, who is CEO of Elektra Entertainment, made the list “for putting her ideals into action— both in and out of the music business—on behalf of women and people of color.” John Lusk, WG’99, and Kyle Harrison, WG’99, were mentioned in the Los Angeles Times (12/23/01) in connection with their recently released book, The Mouse Driver Chronicles: The True Life Adventures of Two First-Time Entrepreneurs. The book chronicles the pair’s struggles and triumphs as they formed Platinum Products and introduced their computer mouse that looks like the head of a golf club. Pridiyathorn Devakula, WG’70, was named financier of the year by The Nation (12/20/01). Devakula is central bank governor for the Bank of Thailand, having gained widespread praise for a number of bold moves he has made in the past year. According to PR Newswire (12/17/01), Eileen Naughton, WG’87, has been promoted to president of Time, where she will be responsible for the business side of the weekly magazine, the Time for Kids division, TIME.com, and the Life franchise. Business Wire (12/17/01) reports that Ellen C. Wolf, WG’79, vice president and CFO of American Water Works Company Inc., has been named to the “Commodities Now” Top 50 Women in Energy list. Andrew Grant, WG’90, was profiled in an article in Business Review Weekly (12/6/01) regarding his position as managing director of Virgin Mobile. Grant says that he has embraced Virgin’s notoriously irreverent marketing style, which has included following Virgin chairman Richard Branson in an army tank down Pitt Street in Sydney. Sam Su, WG’83, was mentioned in an article in Fortune (11/26/01) on Tricon’s foray into markets outside the U.S.