Directory Assistance The above link connects to the most frequent points of contact between the School and its alumni. We hope it will make HBS services more accessible to you, as well as suggest new ways to take advantage of the HBS network. HBS Alumni Association Board of Directors: President's Report Taiwan Club President Thrives on Region's Entrepreneurial Energy New HBSAA Board Members
		Fall Meeting of the HBSAA Board of Directors HBS October 20-21, 2000
		Winter Meeting of the HBSAA Board of Directors HBS January 19-20, 2001
		Women's Student Association Annual Conference HBS January 20, 2001>
		HBS Global Alumni Conference "Leading in a Changing World: Innovation, Growth, and Transformation" Cleveland, Ohio May 15-18, 2001
		Spring Meeting of the HBSAA Board of Directors/Club Officers Roundtable HBS May 30-31, 2001
		Spring 2001 Reunions/MBA Classes of 1926, 1931, 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996 HBS May 31-June 3, 2001
		Executive Education Renewal Program HBS June 2-4, 2001
		Class Day and Commencement HBS June 6-7, 2001

I am writing this letter on the heels of another wonderful reunion weekend at HBS. If you're like me, a "reunion zealot," you know how special these events are. Not only do reunions give us the chance to reconnect with dear friends, but we are also treated to substantive presentations by the best and the brightest of the HBS faculty. This fall we tried something new and presented two Executive Education courses to returning alumni. Transitions and Transformations, led by HBS professor emeritus Carl Sloane, was offered to the Class of 1965, and we hope it will become a required course for all alumni who are working to make a successful transition. The second program, Strengthening Your Role as a Nonprofit Board Leader, was available to all returning classes, and we believe it could become de rigueur for our graduates who are assuming major management roles in nonprofit institutions — maybe even required by nonprofits for their board members. Both were smashing successes. These challenging programs — along with faculty presentations at the reunions and the annual Global Alumni Conferences — offer us a key opportunity to add to the value of our HBS degree. Thanks to the work of the Alumni Board, continuing education is becoming an important part of the menu of services available to HBS graduates. Let me expand on that by telling you about what the Board will be addressing this year.

As in past years, the Board will divide into subcommittees, each focusing on a specific area that has an impact on alumni. The Communications Committee, led by John B. Hoffmann (MBA '64), will study the ways in which HBS communicates with alumni. While all graduates receive numerous messages from the School, their class, and the clubs — both by mail and electronically — the committee believes there is substantial room for improvement. The goal in improving these communications is to inform alumni of current events at the School and of the resources available to them as alumni, as well as to strengthen their ties to HBS. The Committee to Transition Students into Alumni, led by Edward F. ("Ted") Fischer (71st PMD), will work to connect young alumni (those within five years of graduation) with the School and the community of other alumni. Specifically, committee members will focus on developing a template for these connections to occur as students make the transition to alumni. The goal will be to connect with future alumni at the earliest point — while they are still students — and keep the connection vital over the next few critical years. The Continuing Education Committee, under the direction of Norton H. Reamer (MBA '60), will continue the important work of previous committees to create and sustain valuable educational programs for alumni that keep them current on major trends in business, business skills, and business education, specifically the HBS curriculum. The Global Alumni Conference Committee, led by Ellen M. Guidera (MBA '86), is dedicated to supporting the efforts of current conference organizers as well as creating a sustainable infrastructure for future conferences.

As I mentioned, the Global Alumni Conferences play a vital role in our continuing education mission. The conference scheduled for Cleveland on May 15-18, 2001, is no exception. Taking their cue from alumni feedback, the organizers have assembled a first-rate roster of HBS faculty members who will present their latest research in one of four timely areas: Managing Innovation, the Information Technology Revolution, Transforming the Enterprise, and Entrepreneurship. Plenary speakers include Jacques Nasser, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, HBS professors Michael Porter and Clay Christensen, and Tom Coughlin, EVP, president, and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Division. Be sure to visit the Cleveland conference Web site (www.hbsglobal.org) for up-to-date information and a registration form. This is an extraordinary value for alumni on many levels — don't miss it!

My colleagues on the Board join me in wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season. This is a good time of year to be in touch with HBS colleagues and friends, so once again, I urge you to keep those communication lines open! A list of new Board members appears below. Don't hesitate to let us know how we can help to meet your needs as HBS alumni. Best wishes, and let's make a date to assemble in Cleveland for what promises to be the best ever U.S.-based Global Alumni Conference.

Edmund A. Hajim (MBA '64)
November 2000

"Taiwan today is an exciting place to be in business," said Benjamin P.L. Feng (MBA '75), managing director of All Asia Partners, a venture capital firm headquartered in Taipei. At HBS this fall to attend his 25th Reunion, Feng took time out to share his enthusiasm for the success of Taiwan's high-tech-driven economy and his role as president of the Harvard Business School Club of Taiwan.

"If you have a good idea, there is venture money available," he continued. "You don't have to come from a rich family or have an extensive background in industry to succeed in Taiwan. You just need to have a good idea and be willing to work to make it happen." Over the last century, Taiwan's economy was built on the success of its small and medium-sized trading companies. "Competition has always been fierce here, with people setting up shop across the street from their chief business rivals," Feng explained. "Our recent success in high-tech manufacturing on a worldwide basis is a natural outgrowth of that entrepreneurial spirit. If you can survive on the local level in Taiwan, you have a very good chance of making it in the global marketplace."

Feng has been drawing on that entrepreneurial spirit in his leadership role at the ten-year-old Taiwan club. With just over half of the one hundred or so HBS graduates in Taiwan signed up as members, Feng is working to attract new members and to raise Harvard Business School's profile in the local business community. "The scope of our activities is limited by the small number of HBS graduates in Taiwan. We don't yet have meetings on a regular basis," he said, "but we do have meaningful meetings." Past events have featured speakers from Taiwan's hotel, venture capital, and technology industries, as well as members of the HBS faculty.

In addition, the club has sponsored gatherings designed to encourage more students from Taiwan to apply to the School. "We had a forum featuring a number of graduates who talked about life at HBS, the case method, and the value of an HBS degree," Feng noted. "The Admissions Office has been very helpful in supplying us with recruiting materials." Last year the club also sponsored a visit from members of the Harvard Krokodiloes singing group, who traveled to Taiwan to raise money for the victims of the region's devastating earthquake.

Born in Taiwan, Feng came to the United States with his parents at the age of 12. He earned a degree in engineering from MIT but decided to pursue a career in business because it offered more diversity than engineering. After graduating from HBS, he worked at Citibank for thirteen years and then returned to Taiwan in 1988. "Taiwan is my home," said Feng. "My parents have remained in the States, but I always wanted to come back."

Feng says his work with the HBS Club of Taiwan is a way for him to give something back to Harvard while sharing his enthusiasm about his home country. "We try to make people feel good about being part of the Business School community and about living and working in Taiwan." Feng encouraged HBS visitors to the area to get in touch. "We will make you feel welcome," he promised.

	Robert S. Boyd (MBA '63) Republic of Singapore Senior Fellow Nanyang Business School Nanyang Technological University		Carlos G. Guzman (MBA '88) Pembroke Pines, Florida President Harte-Hanks, Inc./ South Florida
	Peter N.H. Burrow (MBA '85) New York, New York Chief Financial Officer Mi8 Corporation		Kathleen M. Jackson (MBA '86) Chicago, Illinois Senior Vice President, Director of Personal Trust and Investment Services The Chicago Trust Company
	Jean-Marc Daillance (MBA '84) Issy-les-Moulineaux, France Chief Executive Officer Pool Division Zodiac SA		Roslyn B. Payne (MBA '70) San Francisco, California President and Owner Jackson Street Partners, Ltd.
	Helmy H. El-Sherif (MBA '80) Poughkeepsie, New York Program Director OEM and Alliances IBM Corporation		Robert W. Shaw (MBA '84) Washington, D.C. President Premier Yachts, Inc.
	Alexander W. Florence (16th OPM) Bellevue, Washington Chairman Veritrade International Inc.		Douglas T. Tansill (MBA '63) New York, New York PaineWebber Incorporated
	James D. Gibbons (MBA '94) Alexandria, Virginia President and Chief Executive Officer National Industries for the Blind		Laura L. Teller (MBA '84) Miami Beach, Florida Founder and President TellerGroup Consulting, Inc.