Before we begin a new year, let’s take a look back at some of the most significant events, launches, conferences, and additions that advanced the mission of the Wharton School in 2016.
Wharton INSEAD Alliance Celebrates 15 Years
The Wharton-INSEAD Alliance celebrated 15 years of top-quality business education across six dedicated campuses. Executive Directors Tom Robertson and Serguei Netessine along with others share their thoughts on the past, present, and future impact of this top quality business education.
Wharton Sports Business Initiative Hosts “Beyond the Game: Tackling Race” Panel
In conjunction with the Super Bowl, the Wharton Sports Business Initiative partnered with the NFL and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) for a special edition of the Wharton Sports Business Show broadcast on the Wharton SiriusXM channel.
Professors Ken Shropshire and Scott Rosner hosted three panels comprised of former NFL players, business and academic leaders, and current NFL players. The conversation focused on race and sports and was held in front of a live audience of about 150 guests at Wharton’s San Francisco campus.
Wharton Digital Press Wins Four Book Awards
Wharton Digital Press took home four awards for three books published:
Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports by Kenneth L. Shropshire won the bronze medal in business ethics at The Independent Publishing Awards (Axiom Business Book Awards).
The Road to Cuba: The Opportunities and Risks for US Business, Revised and Updated Edition by Knowledge@Wharton was the gold medal winner for adult non-fiction informational ebook at The Independent Publishing Awards (IPPY Awards).
The Engaged Leader: A Strategy for Your Digital Transformation by Charlene Li took the silver medal prize for the business category at The Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards) and was the winner in the social media category at The Small Business Book Awards.
Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Launches Scale School Workshops
Scale School, a quarterly workshop series for alumni entrepreneurs, launched at the San Francisco campus. A partnership between Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship and Wharton Lifelong Learning, the series brings together faculty and experienced alumni to offer practical assistance for entrepreneurs currently in the scaling phase of their companies.
With three successful events this year and three more workshops already scheduled for 2017, it’s safe to say Wharton Scale School is scaling.
New Wharton Undergraduate Curriculum Approved
In April, the Wharton faculty voted to approve the most sweeping update made to the Undergraduate Program curriculum in over 12 years. This new design was nearly two years in the making, led by the Undergraduate Curriculum Review Committee that included faculty, undergraduate students, and administrators. The Committee gathered input and insights through student, alumni, and employer surveys; course evaluations; and focus groups and town halls.
Key elements of the new curriculum include increased flexibility for students to more deeply pursue areas of individual interest, a doubling of leadership content, and greater emphasis on innovation and technology, ethics and social values, and the global economy. Students entering in fall 2017 will be the first to experience the new curriculum with full implementation within five years.
Wharton Social Impact Initiative Hosted the 5th Annual MIINT Competition
Wharton Social Impact Initiative once again hosted an international impact investing competition, drawing hundreds of students to Huntsman Hall to pitch deals and compete for a potential $50,000 investment for their chosen company.
The MBA Impact Investing Network and Training program (MIINT) grew to its largest ever this year, encompassing more than 620 MBA and graduate students from 25 top business schools around the globe. Co-run by Wharton and UK fund manager Bridges Ventures, MIINT is an experiential learning lab that mimics the real-life process of sourcing, conducting diligence, pitching, and investing in social impact enterprises.
Mack Institute Holds Inaugural Penn Wharton Commercialization Workshop
In the spring, the Mack Institute held the inaugural Penn Wharton Commercialization workshop in cooperation with Penn’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research to pair Penn researchers with entrepreneurial experts.
The three-day program provided practical tools to take participants all the way from an idea to implementation. Each session addressed a piece of the commercialization journey, based on the most successful teaching offerings on innovation and entrepreneurship around campus.
Wharton Sends Off the Class of 2016
From Philadelphia to San Francisco, from undergraduate to MBA, EMBA, and PhD, we welcomed the Class of 2016 to the Wharton Alumni Community. Between May 7 and May 15, 2016 nearly 2,000 of the best and brightest business graduates walked across the Wharton stage and into the next chapter of their lives.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model is Released
The nonpartisan, interactive Penn Wharton Budget Model is a tool available at no cost to users and is available online and from the tap of a tablet or smartphone.
The Model, a tool developed through the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative, allows policymakers and the public to make more informed decisions and better understand the economic and fiscal implications of proposed policies. After its release, the Model earned the top online media mention of the year on CNN.com.
Election 2016: Customer Analytics and Voting Behavior
During the Democratic National Convention held in Philadelphia, the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative co-sponsored a half-day event with the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative and the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies on understanding voting behavior through the perspective of customer analytics.
Data analysts explored the uses of “big data” for understanding voter decisions and election outcomes and experts from Wharton as well as the commercial and political arenas joined the conversation. Read a recap here: wcai.wharton.upenn.edu/blog/customer-analytics-voting-behavior/.
McNulty Leadership Program Launch Featured Walter Isaacson
The newly renamed Anne and John McNulty Leadership Program kicked off with public launch event featuring Penn President Amy Gutmann, Dean Geoffrey Garrett, Anne McNulty, and renowned author Walter Isaacson.
Wharton Magazine’s fall cover feature tells the story of the McNulty Leadership Program that takes the reader inside the student experience, introduces key faculty and staff, and serves as an appreciation to the McNulty family for their generosity.
Wharton Online Announces Digital Marketing Certificate and Hosts Wharton’s Inaugural Business Education Online Learning Summit
Wharton Online announced a new Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing to be offered on leading MOOC provider edX in 2017. This certificate will include Marketing Analytics, Managing the Value of Customer Relationships, Selling Ideas, and Digital Marketing.
Hailing from four continents, 25 institutions, 26 corporations, and the U.S. Department of Education, attendees flocked to Wharton’s Inaugural Business Education Online Learning Summit in September.
Through a mix of facilitated conversations and plenary sessions, panelists and attendees discussed emerging opportunities for on-campus and on-the-job education, how online learning is proliferating historically significant shifts in traditional business education, and the relevance of business schools in this new credentialing economy.
Lauder Global Alumni Weekend in New York City
In October, Lauder alumni from around the world, along with current Lauder students, faculty, staff, and distinguished guests gathered in New York City for alumni weekend.
The weekend included a day-long conference of workshops, professional development, a business plan competition, class dinners and other special events, topped off by the Soiree at the American Museum of Natural History with over 850 guests in attendance.
Wharton San Francisco Celebrates 15 Years
Students, Bay Area alumni, faculty, and friends of Wharton gathered for an alumni reunion and gala celebration to celebrate Wharton’s 15th anniversary on the West Coast.
Posted: December 21, 2016