HBS Alumni Association Board of Directors: President's Report

These have been extraordinary months for both the country and the HBS community. I have been particularly struck by the way the HBS alumni network rallied to support not only fellow alumni but also the business community. It’s an indication that the HBS Alumni Association, which boasts over 65,000 graduates of the MBA and Executive Education Programs, is stronger than ever. As president, I want to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation for all you do to support that network.

On the heels of another successful round of reunions in early October, the Alumni Association Board of Directors met on campus October 19 and 20 for its regular fall meeting. We heard from Professor Howard Stevenson, senior associate dean and director of External Relations, and Donella Rapier, associate dean of External Relations and the School’s CFO, about the current “State of the School” regarding alumni outreach, fundraising, and current programmatic updates. We also heard about the School’s response to the tragedies of September 11. Now more than ever, HBS and its alumni have an opportunity to make a difference by continuing to train leaders, supporting each other through transitions, and staying connected. The Alumni Board is committed to those actions, and this is evident in the three committees that will serve this year. (These committees were carried over from last year, as there was considerable work still to be done in each case.)

The Communications Committee, led by Paul Stewart (MBA ’87), will focus on improving three areas: how the School and alumni clubs communicate with HBS alumni; how alumni communicate with the School; and how alumni communicate with each other. In particular, the committee’s work will focus on reviewing and possibly refining the Class Notes production process; developing informative presentations that could be taken on the road and delivered through clubs; developing a more robust alumni database that could support better communication; and thinking about an overall communications strategy that would serve to keep the greater community more connected.

The Lifelong Learning Committee, headed by Perry Driggs (MBA ’61), will build on the important work undertaken by last year’s committee and will coordinate closely with a faculty-led task force to define a plan for providing educational resources to alumni throughout their professional lives. In the past, this committee has recommended the creation of special programs targeted to meet the needs of alumni at various times in their lives. These have been very successful, but more work needs to be done to integrate the programs into the School’s culture and better promote them among the appropriate alumni groups. The board believes that education doesn’t stop at graduation, and the School is in a unique position to add value in this area.

The Recent Graduates Committee, led by Eric Turner (MBA ’82), will focus on those MBA and Executive Education alumni who have graduated within the last five years. It will consider ways of connecting them with the School and the extended alumni community. The primary goals of the committee will be to open lines of communication with MBA students and Exec Ed participants as early as possible and to maintain that connection over the next few critical years; to encourage early involvement with local alumni clubs; and to generate additional ideas to make the early alumni years more meaningful to HBS graduates.

In addition to these standing committees, board members commit to serving on ad hoc committees, namely, the Global Alumni Conference Committee, chaired by Joan McCabe (MBA ’81); the Nominating Committee, chaired by Ed Hajim; and the Community Standards Committee. The first group monitors the development and delivery of alumni conferences held around the world; the second works to identify a slate of twelve new board members each year; and the latter serves as an advisory board to the School regarding values and leadership on campus.

As you can tell, this is a working board, and I feel immensely privileged to be at the helm of such a talented and committed group. This group sees itself as an advocate for your issues and concerns. Don’t hesitate to contact any of us if we can be helpful.

Susan Luick Good (MBA ’71)
November 2001

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At its 33rd annual International Dinner last June, the HBS Club of Greater New York honored two business leaders: Roger A. Enrico, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Inc., and Jeanette Sarkisian Wagner (90th AMP), vice chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. In accepting the 2001 Business Statesman Award, Enrico discussed the “joy and thrill” of his job and said, “I’m convinced that it’s the ‘soft’ side of business, the human side, that really does matter the most.” After receiving the club’s Leadership Award, Wagner shared her views on the importance of education and noted that good leadership comes with an obligation to train the next generation of leaders — “to give forward,” as she put it. Charles Ames (MBA ’54), who chaired the dinner, noted that the event was a fundraiser that would contribute to need-based scholarships at HBS. “I’ve always had a warm spot in my heart for those events that help provide financial assistance,” said Ames, himself an HBS scholarship recipient.