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(10/16/98 9:00am)
But the school placed third in an alternate national ranking. For the third time in a row, Business Week has named the Wharton School's graduate division the best "B-School" in the nation in rankings released last week. U.S. News & World Report, however, this summer ranked Wharton No. 3. The reason for the difference is due to the magazines' different methodology in calculating the ranks. Business Week uses what is called a "customer satisfaction survey," said Management Editor Jennifer Reingold, who is in charge of the business-school ranking project. "We base [the ranking] on the opinions of the students who pay tens of thousands of dollars on these schools and the recruiters, who have to live with the talent," she explained. Rather than rely primarily on statistics, Business Week mailed surveys to 9,598 students, of which 6,020 responded. According to Reingold, a 1989 College graduate, that "is an excellent response, considering it's direct mail." U.S. News' Bob Morse, director of research for "America's Best Grad Schools," said his publication's methodology resembles Business Week's in that they both survey corporate recruiters and business school academics. But U.S. News also uses statistics, like GMAT scores and grade-point averages, provided by the business schools themselves. Also unlike Business Week, which publishes its results every other year, U.S. News ranks graduate schools of all fields annually. Wharton tied with Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the No. 3 spot in U.S. News' 1998 business school rankings. Wharton has yet to be selected as the best business school on U.S. News' list. Harvard and Stanford's schools tied for first place. But Wharton officials say that that ranking, combined with No. 1 slots in other publications, is quite impressive. "It is still quite robust that we've always placed within the top three on U.S. News' list," Wharton Graduate Dean Bruce Allen said. Allen also pointed out that Wharton is also ranked No. 1 in the Financial Times. But how accurate are such surveys? In the past year, many higher education officials, most notably a large number of the deans of major law schools, have publicly protested such rankings. Reingold said she has confidence in her magazine's ranking because "we collect more data than any other magazine or ranking source." Morse said he believes that both U.S. News' and Business Week's approaches to ranking are "credible," but added that both "have their pros and cons and none is more accurate than the other." Allen, on the other hand, said that although the Business Week ranking "has a very positive impact on Wharton's school spirit, applications, alumni and faculty," he admitted that these rankings "have their problems." In particular, Allen disputed Business Week's No. 9 ranking of Stanford's business school, which was tops in U.S. News. Nevertheless, Wharton students "are very excited to be No. 1 for three straight times," said Wharton Graduate Association President Cesar Conde, a second-year MBA student. So why does Wharton win "all around," according to Reingold? "Recruiters feel that the students are competent, smart, able to get right to work on a project and not arrogant," she said. "And the students believe that the academic environment is challenging, but they still have influence over it." Wharton students celebrated the Business Week ranking at the WGA-sponsored MBA Pub, which takes place at Vance Hall every Thursday. On October 8, MBA students gathered around a big-screen TV hooked up to America Online watching Business Week release the list, counting down from No. 25. "It was like a countdown, and we felt like we won some kind of national sports championship," Conde said.
(10/08/98 9:00am)
One of the best ways to get people to understand how to be a successful leader is to show them real-life situations that tested the leadership qualities of those in charge, according to Management Professor Michael Useem. That is the theme of Useem's recent book, The Leadership Moment: Nine True Stories of Triumph and Disaster and Their Lessons for Us All. Useem, director of the Wharton School's Center for Leadership and Change, signed copies of the book at the Penn Bookstore on Tuesday. The book, published by Random House last month, consists of Useem's accounts of life-altering events involving people like Arlene Blum, a world-class mountain climber who led the 1978 Women's Himalayan Expedition, and University Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos, who as head of drugmaker Merck & Co. made a controversial decision in 1987 by approving a treatment for the Third World disease river blindness. Useem cited these two people and their stories as being the "most remarkable and inspirational" for him. "Having taught in a variety of settings and working with various companies, I've realized people have a hard time turning the principles of leadership into their own terms without a powerful story to illustrate them," he said. All nine people profiled in The Leadership Moment come from different walks of life, ranging from a corporate executive to a former president of El Salvador. The author chose these subjects because they "best exemplify powerful experiences and enduring lessons." The experiences and lessons of these nine people have also been added to the back section of the book, "A Leader's Guide," a set of principles to leadership. The fact that their futures were at some point "at risk," he added, "gets people really drawn into the book. "People often come to terms with their own leadership when they look at people with leadership on the line," he said. Useem has written about eight other books including Investor Capitalism: How Money Managers are Changing the Face of Corporate America (1996) and Liberal Education and the Corporation (1987). Recently, the author has been making promotional appearances throughout the country. Useem has also brought some of the material from the book into his classes, like Management 100, among other undergraduate and graduate courses. Although he has not been using the book as a main text, professors elsewhere are picking up The Leadership Moment as an academic text, he said. The next step for Useem could be making a documentary of The Leadership Moment for public television. He is currently in the process of working with a producer. "Leadership is now critical, especially in a world where we're not sure how we're going to end up," Useem said. "[The book] is practical help to people who want to achieve something and who want to know how to work with people to get it done."
(09/24/98 9:00am)
Next fall, Penn Engineering and Applied Science students will be able to go from programming in Java to sipping a cup of java, without walking very far. A $225,000 gift from an anonymous donor with close ties to Penn will be used to create a "cybercafe" for Engineering students, Engineering officials said. The facility will be located in the Moore Building's Graduate Research Wing on the 3300 block of Walnut Street. Interim Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt said the school had suggested the project to the donors, who agreed to fund it. The cybercafe -- which is expected to open by the end of next summer --Ewill give students an opportunity to socialize with friends, drink coffee and check e-mail without leaving the Engineering complex, he explained. "We are aware that the Engineering school is at the very east end of campus, far from most dorms and University facilities," Glandt said. "We must be attentive to the quality of life of our [Engineering] students in school, both inside and outside of the classroom." The Graduate Research Wing, near Bennett Hall, was chosen for the site of this two-floor lounge because it is a relatively modern building. Although a parking lot currently surrounds the building, Glandt mentioned the possibility of "improving the outside [scenery] to make it more appealing." The cybercafe will most likely be open 24 hours since the Engineering complex, consisting of the Towne and Moore buildings, is open all night to PennCard holders through one entrance. Additionally, the school has just put the finishing touches on a new security system that will allow access through all of Towne's four entrances. Although the specifics of the cafe -- such as the architectural design and the number of computers -- have not been finalized, Glandt said "it has long been our dream to have a cappuccino bar, especially for the yuppie students and faculty." Glandt said the school has not decided whether the cybercafe will be available for non-Engineering student use, adding that this should be "pretty much a non-issue" due to its location. He will also consult with Engineering student groups to solicit their opinions. Glandt said the school will undertake a similar project using its own funds to revamp the current Chemical Engineering lounge in the Towne Building. The cafe should serve as "a place where students can mingle and socialize outside of the classroom," said Engineering Student Activities Council Chairperson Alyssa Abo, an Engineering senior.
(04/17/98 9:00am)
Bare-chested men and short-skirted women could be seen strutting their stuff outside of the Kappa Sigma fraternity throughout the afternoon yesterday. And Fling hadn't even started yet. The first-annual Kappa Sigma, Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta Date Auction -- organized to benefit the American Red Cross and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and featuring more than three dozen of the hottest bodies on campus -- attracted more than 100 bidders and onlookers to the Spring Fling weekend kickoff event. The event raised over $4,300. "We wanted the biddees and all participants to represent all diverse interests and all years," noted Wharton senior Erik Metzroth, a Kappa Sig brother who organized the event along with College sophomore Paulo Eapen. Nursing sophomore and Chi Omega sister Rosemary Chandy said, "We didn't think that we were going to do that great." She added that the greeks had originally hoped to raise $1,500 and were "amazed" at the turnout. According to Chandy, the the highest amount of money paid for dates included Engineering senior and Mr. Penn Mark Gaffney -- "bought" for $350 -- and Engineering senior Sonya Survanshi, who singlehandedly raised $275. Metzroth personally recruited 65 restaurants and businesses -- including the Ritz-Carlton, Martini's, Palm Restaurant, Nicole Miller, J. Crew and Bookbinder's --Eto sponsor the event by donating dinners, clothing and other services to the auction. The main goal for the event was to raise money for the organizations, as well as "to establish an activity that could unify the campus," Metzroth said. "The cost of putting together this event was $250 from our own pockets, but the sales from the $1 bid cards has already covered that amount," he added. "We tried to limit cost as much as possible because all the proceeds after cost are donated to the organizations." Some students seemed willing to do just about anything to raise their bid prices. College sophomore Ryan Granito, for example, took off his shorts and danced around in his boxers. But reaction to the event was not entirely positive. "[This event represents] a very heterosexual institution, akin to sanctioned prostitution," Wharton senior Steven Chiong said. "What would happen if I bid on a guy?" Notwithstanding such criticism, Metzroth said he was pleased with the event, which he hoped would bring the various segments of the student body together. "After four years here, I've noticed that Penn is a lot more diverse than many other schools. I wanted to have an event that would unite the entire campus," he said. Red Cross Public Relations Director Leslie Credit said the organization was "very happy to receive support from Penn because the Red Cross relies on community support for its programs." "[Metzroth] came up with this idea entirely on his own and he has truly been doing a wonderful job with it," she added.
(03/19/98 10:00am)
Theater Arts 250, "Community Performance in West Philadelphia," taught by William Yalowitz, is a new course offered this semester that brings together Penn students and theater artists with the people, cultures and traditions of West Philadelphia. The class of 12 students works with the former residents of the Black Bottom, a West Philadelphia neighborhood that was once located on Sansom and Lancaster streets between 32nd and 40th Streets. This area was razed and residents were displaced because of an "urban renewal" program sponsored by Penn, Drexel University and the City of Philadelphia in the 1950 and '60s. The class also meets with University City High School students to research the neighborhood's history and conduct interviews with ex-residents. Those involved in the University City development program were "quite insensitive to the people of the community," Yalowitz said. "There was the mistaken notion that the houses in the Black Bottom were a slum, but it was actually a very vital area." In the 1930s and '40s, before the physical razing of the neighborhood began, residents were often denied home loans and mortgages. These racial "red-lining" practices were used to silently encourage the "urban renewal" program, according to Yalowitz. When construction began, residents were given an insufficient amount of money to relocate -- causing many people, especially the senior citizens, to go into debt. The residents formed a Black Bottom Association, with a current membership of approximately 4,000 people from all over Philadelphia. "These people are fiercely proud and loyal to their community," Yalowitz added. On April 18, the class plans to hold a public performance to exhibit the results of the semester-long partnership with the Black Bottom Association. This will only be a "work-in-progress" performance because the collaboration with the Association will be ongoing, Yalowitz said. Students in subsequent semesters will be able to stage more finished theatrical works dealing with the drama of Black Bottom. The response from the community and students has been very positive. "This is more than any experience you can get out of a classroom, because you're learning to listen and you hear stories you can never hear on campus," College sophomore and class member Debra Kurshan said. "This is an effective class because we build relationships with people." "It's really great," Wharton senior Brandale Randolph said. "Of all the theater performances I've done, this is definitely the most spiritually rewarding." For Yalowitz, the class, which was developed over last summer by Center for Community Partnership Director Ira Harkavy, Carey Mazer, director of Theater Arts, and several students, has also been a wonderful experience. "It's been a pleasure to teach this course," Yalowitz noted. "The students are enthusiastic and they're really stretching their boundaries and building a relationship with the community. The Black Bottom Association has also been given the opportunity to tell their story so that the Penn community and local people of West Philadelphia can understand their experience."
(02/20/98 10:00am)
Panelists gathered in the Annenberg School for Communication yesterday afternoon to present their opinions and research on "The Impact of Welfare 'Reform' on Women and Children" to a crowd of about 60. The four panelists included Ruth Mayden, dean of the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work; Kathy Edin, a Sociology professor at Penn; Vivian Gadsden, Education professor and director of the National Center of Policy on Fathers and Families at Penn; and Lucy Hackney, senior advisor to the Office of Management and Workplace Programs at the U.S. General Services Administration. Mayden began by noting that a significant number of children in Philadelphia grow up without adequate education and resources. There are 390,000 children below the age of 17 in Philadelphia, 145,000 of whom currently receive cash assistance. In addition, 217,000 children are on medical assistance, she said. Mayden stressed that "welfare programs must concentrate on the causes of poverty." In the late 1980s, she explained, the government implemented many short-term solutions to poverty and welfare programs without identifying the causes and the real problems underlying the situation. "The real victims are the women and children," Mayden said. According to Edin, however, the "new system" of welfare reform is no more organized. Under the system, "states are making welfare reforms as they go along," she said, adding that "[states] invent [reform] six weeks at a time." Edin noted that "government officials don't understand how to make and implement reform." The new system, she explained, has also reduced cash benefits and instituted a greater number of quotas and deadlines for welfare recipients. Gadsden then focused on the role of fathers in welfare families. "States have no idea about welfare reform and even less of an idea regarding fathers [and welfare reform]," she said. Fathers face many barriers to being effective parents, including unemployment. Gadsden said that the states need to try to identify the problems fathers are exposed to and find strategies to overcome them. Hackney chose to focus her comments on the high cost of childcare "If we fail in childcare, we will make it impossible for mothers trying to leave welfare to succeed and will also make it impossible for children to succeed in school ? which then continues the cycle of welfare dependency," Hackney explained. College sophomore Edisa Gonzalez-Revilla, a member of Penn's Poverty Awareness Committee, which seeks to educate the Penn community about issues like welfare, responded to the speech by echoing the panel's criticisms of the welfare program. "There are shocking things going on with welfare," Gonzalez-Revilla explained. "Most of us don't know what's going on. It's our duty to find out and see what we can do about it." College junior Courtney Koslow added that "I feel I only know the negative side [of the issue].?But at the same time, there possibly is only this one side. Welfare reform as it is now is inadequate, which is frustrating."
