As Wharton students step into class tomorrow, they will be mirroring the school's very first students, who sat down to class 125 years ago on Sept. 15, 1881.
But today's students are a little different
"Today's Wharton student is more academically talented, more worldly and definitely more sophisticated and poised," said Management professor Eric Siegel, who graduated from the MBA program himself in 1980.
Wharton students now start their own businesses while still in college, he pointed out.
Many have interned at corporations before their freshman year, and some have even done volunteer and social-service work abroad.
But some of the most obvious changes to the Wharton student body have taken the longest to accomplish.
Just as the corporate world is no longer limited to the white men of 1880's Wharton, the student body has become significantly more diverse.
Women and men are still not represented equally in Wharton's undergraduate division, but it's closer than it was 125 years ago.
The most recent class is composed of 36 percent women, according to Barbara Kahn, vice dean of the Undergraduate Division.
Students hail from 48 states and 35 countries. Sixteen percent of the school's students are international.
Although tomorrow marks the official 125th anniversary, celebrations have been in the works for a long time now.
Wharton administrators kicked off the year with a party in Huntsman Hall in January. Attendees received bracelets stamped with the school's name and red and blue M&M;'s - and a healthy dose of Wharton history from professors.
Events scheduled for the rest of the year show the school's increasing international focus.:
n Wharton will host a Business Roundtable on Leadership tomorrow during which alumni and industry leaders will join Wharton faculty in a discussion of "leadership through innovation." Dean Patrick Harker will speak about the value of a business degree, along with professors an "industry leaders."
Viewers will be able to connect to the roundtable via Webcast.
n On Sept. 25 in Los Angeles, Harker will join Marketing professor David Reibstein for a discussion on Marketing Metrics.
n On Oct. 4 in Portland, Ore., sports business professor Ken Shropshire will speak about the sports business program at Wharton.
n On Nov. 2 in Beijing, China, Marshall Meyer will speak about the nation's booming economy.
n On Nov. 7 in London, England, Richard Herring will speak about finance. Herring will also go to Zurich, Germany on Nov. 9.
n Wharton officials are stretching the celebration into 2007. A finale is planned for April 12-14 in Philadelphia.
