In a recent letter to Wharton School alumni, Dean Thomas Robertson took the opportunity to reflect on the highlights of the past year and the challenges and goals to come in the year ahead.
In terms of highlights, he pointed to the fact that Wharton is strong financially, having exceeded fundraising goals and executive education revenue objectives in the past year. Job placement levels for graduating students, too, were slightly higher than last year, he said.
He also called attention to Wharton’s highly successful Global Alumni Forums, three of which were held in the past year in Peru, Vietnam, and South Africa (representing the first-ever forums in each location), as well as Wharton’s renewal of its alliance with INSEAD for the next four years.
Strides, too, were made, Robertson said, by senior faculty with regard to improving MBA engagement and designing Wharton’s international strategy; by student advisory boards, who offered valuable recommendations around social impact, mentoring, alumni relations and the Wharton brand; and by the school’s many boards, which offered wise counsel around research initiatives, curriculum design, admissions, student placement and funding new programs.
In the year ahead, though, Wharton still has work to do, Robertson continued. Top priority goes to hiring and retaining faculty. Wharton’s faculty at the start of this year will be 207, a number that should be 220, Robertson said. In fact, he continued, Wharton could support 250 faculty within a few years. “We must become more aggressive in our hiring and retention of outstanding faculty,” he said.
The economy and a potential recession also will play a role in the near future. “The usual effects of a recession are that job placements suffer for our students and alumni, applications increase, executive education revenues decline and fundraising becomes more difficult,” Robertson wrote.
With these things in mind, Wharton is paying close attention to revenues and looking to cut costs wherever possible. It also will closely monitor student job placements and be at the ready to allocate additional resources to career management and ask alumni to be more involved in student placement.
Finally, expect some staffing changes ahead, Robertson said. Wharton will announce a new vice dean for international initiatives soon, who will be responsible for implementing the strategic imperatives provided by Wharton’s International Committee.
Other planned new positions include a part-time director for social impact initiatives and a new position focused on student care within the Graduate Division. And, as has been reported here and elsewhere, a search is currently underway for a new admissions director to replace Thomas Caleel, who departed in June, as well as for a new director of communications.
Comments closed
