Executive big-wigs get a taste of life back in the classroom

Over the next few weeks, 44 senior-level executives accustomed to working directly with CEOs will have to answer to their teachers. The group of executives -- representing more than 20 countries ranging from the United Kingdom to Singapore -- is participating in a five-week Advanced Management Program. The program offers a chance for top corporate officials to interact with faculty from both the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences. The course is one of more than 200 programs, catering to approximately 9,000 top-level managers and executives, hosted out of the Steinberg Conference Center as part of Wharton's Executive Education Series, according to Executive Education Vice Dean Robert Mittelstaedt. The series includes three basic courses which target specific audiences: open enrollment courses for the general business population, customized programs for members of the same firm or industry and the Senior Management program for participants who are nominated by their companies. The Advanced Management series is part of this last category. Classes are held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, and students, ranging in age from 37 to 60, prepare case studies and other shared tasks. The program, according to its associate director Emily Cieri, focuses on "intergroup relations" and provides "a way for [the executives] to have fun." The first class, for instance, acquainted students with the "view from 30,000 feet up," reminding them of the competitive nature of business in the global and political economy. Cieri noted that many students are so enthusiastic about the program that they regularly attend optional recitation sessions. The Executive Management Series as a whole has a fairly steady clientele from both domestic and international corporations, she added. Although administrators said Wharton's international reputation for excellence in business studies serves as an attraction, staffers at all levels travel extensively to market the program and increase the client pool. A brochure about the program challenges students: "If you think you can succeed in the future without regularly challenging yourself in this way, we have just two words for you: think again." According to Executive Director of Executive Education Allison McGrath-Peirce, the Steinberg Conference Center -- located at 38th and Spruce streets -- was built in 1988 to compete with executive education activities at other schools. Harvard University, for example, has had a similar facility since the 1940s. "[Executive Education students] used to have to take their classes at Steinberg-Dietrich and their meals at the Sheraton," McGrath-Peirce said, adding that the Steinberg-Dietrich complex now boasts five classrooms, 103 guest rooms and a dining facility. The current arrangement allows the students to feel more a part of campus life.