Alum talks on value of varied education

Martin Franklin, now a powerful investor and entrepreneur, almost didn't go to college. Today, though, as a self-proclaimed successful "professional opportunist," the 1986 Penn graduate is glad he did. Franklin, the chief executive officer of Marlin Holdings, Inc. -- a distribution corporation specializing in optical products -- discussed on Wednesday the value of his own liberal arts education at Penn, as the featured speaker of the Robert Fox Lessons in Leadership program. A Political Science major and Economics minor at Penn, Franklin has risen within the business world by acquiring small companies and forming a conglomerate that taps into a relatively small market. Franklin attributes his success in business to "a combination of my experience and my aptitude to use common sense," which he said improved with his liberal arts background. As an adolescent, Franklin had no intention of going to college. In fact, he said his application process consisted of applying to the first 10 schools listed alphabetically in a college guide. After nonchalantly deciding to attend Clark University in Worcester, Mass., he decided to transfer to Penn after his freshman year "to learn under a more challenging curriculum." At Penn, Franklin earned a 3.0 grade point average and had an almost-perfect attendance record. He received As in Political Science, his favorite discipline, and Bs in most other courses -- excluding an F in Accounting 001, which he now views as "a cheap lesson." "Never take anything for granted," said Franklin, who from then on said he took advantage of the connections and facilities at the University. "You'll only get out of Penn what you put into it." Franklin's participation in extracurricular activities and the social scene added to his Penn experience. As a student, he served as editor of the Penn World Review, a now-defunct paper that he established. He explained that his provocative editorials caused a commotion among the student body and were frequently the subject of criticism in the pages of The Daily Pennsylvanian. Franklin also courted his eventual bride, a 1987 Penn alumna, who he met his sophomore year in an International Relations course. Franklin said the varied courses he took at Penn helped him to establish himself as a business leader. "I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted to be well-rounded," he said. An investor with no masters or doctoral degree, Franklin earned his business savvy from his summer jobs, which ranged from milk-stamper at Grand Union to a junior analyst at an investment bank. Discussing Penn in 2000, Franklin noted that, "Aside from the new buildings, it's very much as I remember it." To those students interested in pursuing a career in business after college, Franklin advised that they "know a little bit about a lot of the world." He also urged students to learn how to be good communicators -- both as speakers and as writers. "The downfall of Wharton is the existence of high-GPA students who can't write," he said. Following the talk, several audience members said they were leaving feeling more confident in their futures. "Even if I don't know what I want to do right now, I can go with the flow," College freshman Leena Mandviwalla said. College freshman Susan Oh added, "He got me to see that I should have a wider perspective and not be so close-minded."