Dear Alumni,
As alumni of one of the world’s best business schools, we are privileged to have some of the most unique alumni gatherings across the globe each year—our Global Alumni Forums. World-Class Business Forums: Celebrating Our Global Alumni Community
Over the last 16 years, Wharton has hosted over 31 annual Global Alumni Forums on three continents: Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Each forum attracts hundreds of Wharton alumni and industry leaders. This year, in addition to Latin America’s forum in Lima, Peru, and Asia’s forum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Wharton is holding its first forum on the continent of Africa. This forum will be held in Cape Town, South Africa. The Global Alumni Forums were created in 1993 by the Wharton School under the leadership of Associate Dean for International Relations Jeffrey Sheehan.
The purposes of the Forums are to:
• Encourage and facilitate personal and professional
networking among all Wharton alumni
• Strengthen the ties between the School and all its alumni
• Raise the School’s visibility in vibrant
centers of global commerce
• Enable global thought leaders to speak about matters
of concern and interest to senior management
• Provide Wharton faculty with opportunities
to visit countries where they conduct research or to
introduce Wharton faculty to new and growing
markets worldwide
• Increase the School’s global presence.
Over the years, the forums have taken place across the globe, including: Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Zurich, Mumbai, Istanbul, and Rio de Janeiro. More than 10,000 alumni are estimated to have attended the Forums since their launch. The forums are open to all alumni regardless of their place of residence. Indeed, many alumni choose to make the forum locations part of their annual travel itinerary. Some of the benefits of attending a Global Alumni Forum include:
• Continued lifelong learning
• Country market or company research
• Business development
• Connecting with fellow alumni around the world
• Holiday and family travel…and fun.
Strengthen Our Community: How You Can Make Our Alumni Forums Even Better
The Global Alumni Forums are a major asset in engaging and strengthening our alumni community. There are four ways to support the Global Alumni Forums:
1. Register and attend a Forum www.wharton.upenn.edu/alumni/forums/2008
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, May 30–31, 2008
Cape Town, South Africa, June 26–27, 2008
2. Volunteer to organize a new Global Alumni Forum
3. Sponsor a 2008 and future Global Alumni Forum
4. Serve as a speaker at a Global Alumni Forum.
We look forward to seeing you this year in Ho Chi Minh City and Cape Town. And after you attend, we would love to hear your alumni connection stories! Feel free to send me an e-mail or send your comments to magazine@wharton.upenn.edu.
Until,
Tama L. Smith, WG’90
Board Chairwoman, Wharton Alumni Association
President, Tama Smith & Associates, Inc.
E-mail: tsmith@tsassociates.com
