Wharton’s EMBA program is known for having a global focus with its International Seminar; however the addition of global modular courses has taken this to a whole new level. Launched in 2010, the week-long  mini-courses offer students opportunities to learn about topics such as financial institutions in Abu  Dhabi, supply chain management in Shanghai, innovation in India, and leadership and conflict resolution in Rwanda.

Having recently returned from the course in Rwanda, we asked EMBA students Marla Bleavins and Bill Williams to tell us about their experience. Here’s what Marla, a second-year student at Wharton | San Francisco who is a special projects manager for Los Angeles World Airports, had to say:

“Most Americans know about Rwanda because of the tragedy of genocide that happened there in 1994, but we aren’t as familiar with the progress the country has made since then. It’s the fastest growing economy in Africa and one of the safest and least corrupt countries on that continent so I was intrigued to learn more about it through this course, which was taught by Prof. Katherine Klein and called, ‘Leadership, Conflict, and Change.’

Having recently overseen the move of Wharton’s West Coast facility into the Hills Brother Building on San Francisco’s Embarcadero, we asked COO of Wharton | San Francisco Bernadette Birt to tell us about the move and the new campus.

Q. Students experienced the new facility for the first time in early January. How have they reacted?

There have been a lot of ‘Wows!’ which are exactly what we want to hear.  They are thrilled with the quality of the classroom experience, the number of group study rooms, and having places to connect with each other during the day. For example, we have an incredible dining space with stunning views of the San Francisco Bay where our students love to gather with their laptops and iPads to collaborate and relax as the sun sets.

Get insights on the future of jobs from a top Wharton professor, learn more about our EMBA program from Philadelphia and San Francisco alumni, and see what our new campus looks like in San Francisco, then make sure to join us for a virtual reception on Mon., January 23 from 9:00pm-10:00pm EST / 6:00pm-7:00pm PST.

Hosted by Vice Dean Anjani Jain, the event will feature a presentation by renowned labor expert Prof. Peter Cappelli on how the global economy is impacting careers and what this means for the future of employee development. Prof. Cappelli, who teaches negotiations, also will share tips that may help you secure support for your MBA studies and career development.

Afterward, a panel of alumni from our Philadelphia and San Francisco EMBA programs will discuss how the Wharton MBA and network have shaped their careers.  You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions of both Prof. Cappelli and the panelists via your computer or mobile device.

In addition, West Coast COO Bernadette Birt will take participants on a virtual tour of our beautiful new San Francisco campus.  A 21st century learning environment, you’ll see how our technologically advanced facility was designed to provide the most cutting-edge and connected classrooms possible.

To register for this live webcast on Jan. 23, click here.

Phone chat tonight for women considering the MBA degree.  Wed., 1/4/12 6pm EST / 3pm PST

To hear the discussion:   1-270-400-2000* Access code 433559#

To pose questions before or during the chat:  email them to dsharp@wharton.upenn.edu or send them via Twitter using #WhartonEMBAchat

As a woman making your way forward in your career, you face a unique set of issues that require consideration.  Get clarification from an expert whose research has focused on these issues and reassurance from two Wharton alumnae who will share how the MBA degree has impacted them professionally and personally.

Panelists:
Prof. Monica McGrath - Wharton Adjunct Professor of Management
Cori Johnson, WG'09 - Sr. Global Platform Manager at Covidien
Rachel Cervantes, WG'11 - Director, Business Development at Merck
Cathy Molony - Director of Admissions, Wharton MBA Program for Executives
Kathy Lilygren - Director of Admissions, Wharton | San Francisco

Wharton Accounting Professor Christopher Ittner isn’t trying to teach all of his students to be accountants. In fact, the focus of his Managerial Accounting class – a core course in Wharton’s EMBA program - - is on the decisions that managers make using financial data as opposed to the data itself.   We asked Prof. Ittner, whose research areas include performance measurement and cost management systems, to tell us more about the class and what it’s like to teach exec MBA students.  Here’s what he said:

“I’ve been teaching this course in Wharton’s East Coast EMBA program for 15 years and at Wharton | San Francisco for 10 years. And I’ve taught this same course to the full-time Wharton MBA students for the last 20 years.  Needless to say, I understand the material really well!

“It’s very different from a financial accounting course since we talk more about internal decision making and whether the numbers coming out of the accounting system are relevant or not to your decisions.  EMBA students tend to like it a lot because this is what many of them are doing in their jobs every day.

“I really enjoy teaching execMBA students.  Although it’s the exact same course as I teach to the full-time MBA students, the EMBAs bring a different perspective since they can go back to their jobs and apply what they learned right away.  And the EMBAs often bring issues from their work to class, which we discuss as a group.

“In addition to students bringing their real-world examples into class, I often bring examples from my consulting work as well as my research findings into the classroom.

“While you might think that we talk a lot about the economy, it’s not that big of a theme in the class.  Other than it being a riskier environment for decision making because we live in a more turbulent world, the fundamentals of decision making have remained the same regardless of whether people did it well or not leading up to the crisis.

“What has changed in my class is that the industries used as examples have expanded.  Now, we talk a lot about healthcare as well as other areas like the service sector, the motion picture industry and even nonprofits.   The course applies to more than just big manufacturing companies because everyone needs to use financial data to make managerial decisions.

“Another thing I enjoy about teaching EMBA students is the opportunities we have for interaction with the students.  Not only do our classes run for three hours at a time, but we eat lunch and dinner with them.  In San Francisco, our offices are right next to the EMBA area.  We get to know the students a lot more which frequently leads to ongoing relationships years after they have graduated.

“As for flying out to Wharton | San Francisco to teach this course, this is not something that is required of faculty, but rather something we want to do. The majority of us have been choosing to fly out there to teach since the West Coast program was launched 10 years ago.  We do it because we really like teaching these students.

For more information on classes in Wharton’s EMBA program, please click here.

When Brian Davis, a first-year EMBA student, signed up for a six-hour tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, it wasn’t because he’s a history buff. Rather, the director of communications for Allegiant Travel Company in Las Vegas, NV saw it as an opportunity to learn more about leadership and spend the day with classmates.  

“I’m still in awe at the opportunity to be here at Wharton and it’s such a short window that I want to say yes to any opportunity to learn that fits into my schedule,” says Davis, who recently spent a class weekend in Philadelphia with his fellow first-year classmates from Wharton | San Francisco. The Gettysburg tour was an optional Leadership Development Workshop offered to students from both coasts.

When Anne Libby entered Wharton’s East Coast executive MBA program in 1993, she knew she’d be in the minority as a female student. But what she wasn’t expecting was the supportive environment she found there. We asked Libby, who is now the owner of Anne Libby Management Consulting in New York City, to share her thoughts about her experiences at Wharton, her ongoing engagement with the School, and the value of the program for women. Here’s what she had to say:

Working in Los Angeles as the debt and treasury manager for LA World Airports, Marla Bleavins looked at several nearby business schools with EMBA programs when she decided it was time to pursue her MBA degree. However, in addition to wanting a high level of academic rigor, she also wanted to  differentiate   herself from others in the LA area so she set her sights on Wharton.

Wharton’s executive MBA program hosts a lot of events, but one of our recent panel discussions was particularly unique.  After all, it’s not every day that the School sponsors a women’s networking event  at a San Francisco Giants baseball game much less at a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.  

“The San Francisco Giants are a hot ticket in town,” explains Katherine Lilygren, who manages marketing and admissions at Wharton | San Francisco.  “This event was a great opportunity for us to raise awareness about Wharton’s EMBA program in San Francisco, particularly among professional women.  Diversity is very important in our classes so these types of events provide a wonderful venue for us to spread the word about our program to different audiences.”

Each year, second-year Wharton EMBA students spend a week abroad examining how businesses develop and implement strategy in a competitive global context. While that trip is the culmination of their International Seminar, it’s not uncommon for students to organize additional treks to gain further insight into the economic, political, social and cultural factors that influence business in other regions.

Last month, a group of 21 students from Wharton | San Francisco participated in a trek to Beijing and  Shanghai. We asked second-year student Hari Kannan, a technologist at VCE in the Silicon Valley, to share some highlights from the trip. Here’s what he had to say:

When Jim Smith entered Wharton’s executive MBA program in 2005, he also launched the Digital Network Group, an IT and management consulting firm with a mission to create economic and social value for local communities. Wanting to work with professors on his particular interests outside of the core classes, he sought out independent study projects that would help him develop his business. 

As a first-year EMBA student, his initial project was with Prof. Terry LaPier on leading social change through the application of information technology. “That experience provided me with an opportunity to develop a framework that effectively leverages the business, government, nonprofit and academic sectors in a cohesive, systematic and repeatable fashion,” he says. “Through that study, I came up with an idea to build a computer assisted mentoring system for students, as well as a platform to help nonprofits improve their own capacity to provide services – both of which are key elements of my business today.”

Bruce Crocker, a legal advisor and trustee for the Hillman family in Pittsburgh, applied to Wharton’s MBA for Executives Program in Philadelphia not only to enhance his understanding of the investment landscape, but also because he thought the rigorous academic program would be good for his “60-year-old brain.” So far, he’s gotten a lot more from the program than he originally planned, including a vast knowledge about India’s healthcare system, new friends in India, and first-hand experience as a consultant.

As social responsibility becomes a priority for both large organizations and new startups, the Wharton Program for Social Impact is likewise growing in popularity with current and prospective students. Raghavan Anand is a first-year Wharton | San Francisco Executive MBA student who has extensive experience in education- and healthcare-related non-profits.  He spoke to us about what social impact means to him.

Before Lan Luan even began the MBA for Executives Program at Wharton | San Francisco, she knew what topic she wanted to pursue in the first-year Field Application Project (FAP).  A senior product manager at Microsoft in Bellevue, WA, Lan wanted her education to make a real impact on her company and saw the FAP as an ideal vehicle for making that happen.  We asked Lan to tell us more about the FAP and how her team’s findings are benefitting Microsoft.

What does it mean to be the world’s most expensive MBA program?   While it is a significant cost, students and their sponsors get tremendous value from our program.  Wharton EMBA students on both coasts receive the same education as our full-time MBA students.  They are taught the same classes by the same professors for the same number of hours. They also are held to the same standards of performance and intellectual rigor.  This is the full Wharton MBA program offered in a format to accommodate the schedules of busy executives.

Before starting Wharton’s MBA for Executives Program in Philadelphia in 1995, Aris Chicles was on a general management track in industrial marketing at Owens Corning. However, during the program, he became very interested in corporate strategy and M&A and was able to transition into that area within his company. Subsequently, he worked in a similar role at American Standard Companies before joining ITT in 2006 as senior vice president of strategy and corporate development.

Frank Jimenez had a different path to both Wharton and ITT. Starting out as an attorney in Miami, he later worked for Governor Jeb Bush of Florida before moving to Washington, D.C. where he worked as chief of staff to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. By the time he started Wharton’s EMBA program in 2003, he was one of seven deputy general counsels for the U.S. Department of Defense. Later, he became general counsel of the U.S. Department of the Navy, serving through the first 100 days of President Obama’s administration. In 2009, he transitioned into the corporate sector, joining ITT as vice president and general counsel.

Registrants from 30 states and 14 countries joined us last week for our first-ever Webcast event.  During the interactive presentation, streamed live from Philadelphia and San Francisco, participants heard from administrators, faculty, students, and alumni.  It was a great opportunity to learn more about Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives.  If you missed it, it’s not too late. You can watch the replay.

The interactive presentation began with Vice Dean Anjani Jain providing an overview of our program.  He was joined by Wharton Professors David Bell, Peggy Bishop Lane, and Witold Henisz who shared their experiences teaching in our program.  Students and alumni on both coasts then discussed the benefits of the Wharton MBA degree and how they handled the challenge of working while they earned it.

Although we covered a lot of topics during the Webcast, you still might have questions. If so, please contact us at either our San Francisco or Philadelphia Office. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Meet and interact with Wharton MBA for Executives professors, alumni, students and admissions staff during our first-ever webcast event, streaming live from both Philadelphia & San Francisco.

Thursday, January 20, 2011
7:00-8:00pm EST / 4:00-5:00pm PST
REGSITER FOR THE WEBCAST

Get a Taste of the Classroom Experience
Live from Philadelphia: Vice Dean Anjani Jain asks faculty about their experience teaching in the program, including current topics from recent classes. 

David Bell, Professor of Marketing
Peggy Bishop Lane, Professor of Accounting
Witold Henisz, Professor of Management 

Meet Admissions Staff
Live from San Francisco:  Vice Dean Anjani Jain introduces members of the Admissions Committee, including Bernadette Birt, COO of Wharton | San Francisco and Cathy Molony, Director of Admissions, Wharton MBA Program for Executives.

Interact with Students and Alumni
Live from both Philadelphia & San Francisco:  Alumni and students share their stories about the benefits, both personal and professional, of the Wharton MBA degree.

The webcast will include forums for posting questions as you watch.

We hope you'll join us!

Whether it’s the legality of having your favorite clothes copied in China or the ins and outs of mortgage refinancing, second-year Wharton | San Francisco executive MBA student Jennifer Saranow Schultz covers it all as the lead writer for the Bucks Blog of the New York Times.  Writing three or four posts a day, Schultz provides tips and tricks to help consumers better manage their bucks.

While coming up with that many topics to write about every day might sound challenging, Schultz, who has been writing for the New York Times for a little over a year and was previously a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, says that Wharton has turned out to be a great source for blog ideas. “I find topics to write about from a lot of places, but being in school with 90 other people who are dealing with a range of issues like student loans and taxes has been great. Now that my classmates know that I write the blog, they’ll come to me with ideas and are really supportive,” she says.

Schultz has based several blogs on classroom discussions too. “We touched on IRAs in macroeconomics, which led to blog ideas,” says Schultz. “And my Negotiations class with Prof. Maurice Schweitzer has provided a wealth of ideas for posts including how we tested out what we learned in class about negotiating prices during our recent international seminar in China. Another topic that originated in class was whether it is legal to get clothes copied in Asia.”

As for balancing the deadlines with school, the San Francisco resident says that her East Coast hours have turned out to work very well with Wharton’s EMBA program. “I have to get my first post in by 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time so I can write before I leave for school. And on other days, it’s like a normal job, but on East Coast time which gives me a few extra hours to focus on school before the West Coast work day ends.”

If you have a personal finance question you’re wondering about, email it to Schultz at: Jennifer.saranowschultz@nytimes.com

Jim Wilson/The New York Times
 

Meet and interact with Wharton MBA for Executives professors, alumni, students and admissions staff during our first-ever webcast event, streaming live from both Philadelphia & San Francisco.

Thursday, January 20, 2011
7:00-8:00pm EST / 4:00-5:00pm PST
REGISTER FOR THE WEBCAST

Get a Taste of the Classroom Experience
Live from Philadelphia: Vice Dean Anjani Jain asks faculty about their experience teaching in the program, including current topics from recent classes. 

David Bell, Professor of Marketing
Peggy Bishop Lane, Professor of Accounting
Witold Henisz, Professor of Management 

Meet Admissions Staff
Live from San Francisco:  Vice Dean Anjani Jain introduces members of the Admissions Committee, including Bernadette Birt, COO of Wharton | San Francisco and Cathy Molony, Director of Admissions, Wharton MBA Program for Executives.

Interact with Students and Alumni
Live from both Philadelphia & San Francisco:  Alumni and students share their stories about the benefits, both personal and professional, of the Wharton MBA degree.

The webcast will include forums for posting questions as you watch.  We hope you'll join us!