Lifelong Learning  

Assemble peers across industries for high-level dialog in a safe and confidential circle of peers

How to develop negotiation skills, with sensitivity to gender and cultural issues, as well as industry norms.

what opportunties do you have for women to connect with one another at UG and MBA level?

Developing the capacity to: not hold back anything that needs to be said but to remain collegial; providing current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; letting people know where they stand; facing up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; willingness to take negative action when necessary.

Development of strategies and networks to facilitate reentry into the workplace after a brief or extended hiatus.

What separates those who reach a senior position from those who reach the very top levels?

I would like to hear from some of our faculty and alumni about how successful companies expand into emerging markets, like India, China and others.

Ethics and trust are the foundation of authentic leadership. How do we promote this key value across the enterprise and find future leaders that embody this important behavior.

Is it too utopian to suggest there's merit in a business plan or a non-profit pursuing a good housekeeping seal of approval-like business for consumer-oriented finance vendors (banks, credit cards, mortgages, etc). The seal being an indication that finance products are clear and easy to understand.

Second idea - can we create a nation wide financial literacy volunteer program? Occupy Wall Street has highlighted some of the gaps in understanding of basic tenets of finance? i.e., How a loan works, What is a loan, Why a budget is important

What might we develop as strategies for countries facing challenges around aging populations and poorly funded retirements/pensions? What can the combination of academic excellence at Wharton combined with the market expertise of alumni do to move the needle on this significant global issue?

An alien observing human life from afar might be puzzled by these weird financial institutions called "universities" that have inexplicable educational operations attached to them. What does it mean that Penn and the other Ivies amass huge fortunes and spend only 4 percent of them each year. One explanation is that they need big reserves to buffer business cycles. That might explain a billion or so. But, why do they need 10s of Billions. Doesn't hoarding cash imply that the institutions can not productively invest that cash? Stakeholders would take a very hard view on a company that hoarded so much cash and did not invest it productively. It is time for some clear economic reasoning to be applied to philanthropic capital and the financing of higher education.

How to develop the personal habits that contribute to the level of wellness needed to achieve and sustain high levels of professional performance.

A lot has been written on IQ, EQ, etc. as they relate to leadership. One new area of intelligence is spiritual intelligence. Spiritual intelligence (distinct from both spirituality and religion) is defined by Cindy Wigglesworth as "the innate human need to be connected to something larger than ourselves, something we consider to be divine or of exceptional nobility." It would be interesting to see this concept influences leadership.

Is the business community generally, and Wharton specifically, really going to let the debate on the economy be framed as class warfare? Many of us in the 1 percent are appalled at current economic policies. Virtually every elected official on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. is speaking gibberish about the economy. Issues of how we finance government and the role of tax policy in the economy are critical to our collective prosperity. We can take a leadership role in discussing these issues rationally without resorting to the hyperbole we're seeing in the media and among politicians.

Many of us after graduating with our MBA go out to find the job of our dreams. But after a few years we either don't find meaning in what we are doing, don't feel like we are learning anymore, or are just ready to try something new. People are now known to change careers multiple times throughout their lives and it would be very interesting to get some insights into this from our more experienced alumni or others with this experience.