Well, my 3 year journey of classes is officially over.
It ended with a whimper not a bang, and a day on Amtrak to and from DC. I got my cool SAIS t-shirt "Will do Econ for Food." That sorta of gives you an idea of the sentiment among SAIS 2nd years these days.
I am not done, though many Wharton-only people are already partying like rockstars. I have 3 exams and my MA Oral left, but on the day that I finish I will be flying direct first class to Miami Beach for Wharton Beach Week!
It is going to be ridiculous.
April 29, 2009
April 21, 2009
The cycle of MBA life marches ever onward...
Last weekend was Welcome Weekend for the Class of 2011, and for me it was a number of 'last times.'
Last time as a Mini-Cohort leader, last time I will welcome a new class onto campus as a student, and the most sad ... last time the Follies 2009 team got to perform together. I have not decided how I feel about finishing MBA yet. Part of me is excited to be done, and I feel like I have reached the next stage of my life. So, it is good that grad school is ending.
The other part of me knows that life will never quite be like this again. I wish I could just do VAC and GA and Follies and Rugby and Whartones for a living ... but, nothing stops the progression of time.
It is hard to let go and watch the 1st years take charge of everything, you have to fight the urge to micromanage them, and let them find their own way. I know that the new Technical Directors of Follies will do a great job, and I have given them everything I know and all the tools they need.
But now, it is time for a new generation. I did not go out partying with the admits, partly because I was tired, but mostly because they should not be spending time meeting me, they need to focus on the 1st years and their new classmates as they begin this exciting time.
I have been contemplating what I will take away from this experience, and I think my proposed Wharton graduation speech portrays it best. (40 people participated in an election type process, and a good friend of mine, Lou Marchetti, will be honoring us at graduation with his remarks)
But, for my blog audience, here are my thoughts...
Good Afternoon. Mr. Yuunus, President Gutmann, Dean Robertson, Vice Dean Jain, Distinguished Faculty and Guests, and most importantly … the MBA class of 2009:
The Wharton Experience is different for everyone. I am sure if I asked every person sitting here to tell me the one moment from the last 2 years that defines your Wharton experience, you would give me answers almost as diverse as the people.
However, I will attempt to give one answer. And there are many strong possibilities.
Is the Wharton experience?
- Your first friend from Welcome weekend, who came with you through this journey, and will be in your life forever
- A contemplative email from Anjani Jain, the math exam, and the first time you were cold-called
- MBA Café at 3pm, or Koo Plaza on a sunny day in April
- Your learning team meeting to finish the first Marketing 621 case
- MGEC 621, Jeremy Seigel’s Class, Problems in Financial Reporting, Negotiations with Prof. Diamond?
- Whartones Concert, Dance Studio, the Comedy Show, or WICS?
- The Charity Fashion Show, Philly Fight Night, Rebuilding Together, or the Social Impact Club?
- The Conferences (Consulting, Marketing, Finance to name a few)
- The 80s party, Foam Party, Argentinean Asado, the Russian Revelry Night?
- India Club, Israel Club, AAmbaa, Whambaa, Europa?
- Thursday Night Follies, Whalasa After-Parties, Beack Week, Wharton 54 … or is it PUB?
We have had so many incredible times in the last 2 years, it is impossible to list them all, but the sad fact is that somewhere, deep down … we know that this is not reality… that the joy, energy and exploration of our MBA cannot continue indefinitely.
This has been a year of intense change for the world, and this graduation feels a little bit like crawling from under a warm blanket, to the harsh cold of a financial crisis.
I think that leads us to a more important question: What if the Wharton experience is not any of the events I mentioned, but instead the shared value system that we create and embrace, and carry forward with us.
I believe the true Wharton Experience involves 3 things:
First, I think we all have gained a great humility in teamwork and human interaction. I have been exposed to so many incredible and talented people in this class, that I am constantly dazzled. From our learning teams to committees, we cannot assume that we have all the answers … we have learned to respect and rely on each other. This trust and humility allows us to get done more as a group then we possibly could alone, and it will serve us well as we go forward.
Second, we must take our sense of co-production, to use a Wharton buzz-word, and make it larger. The self-driven energy that conceived and executed all those things I mentioned earlier came from us. We create our environment through will alone, and we must remember that we each have the power to affect change. Call it whatever you want: entrepreneurship, co-production, self-motivation … but we must use this same energy to create value and be a force for positive change in our lives.
Third, and perhaps most important, we have built and shaped a vibrant and diverse community of shared experience. Each one of us, for years to come, will recall our friends and colleagues in this class and we will always be able to reach out across the globe, whether it be through email, phone, or perhaps Facebook. We must not let this community die, and as we go about our careers, we must use this resource to help people and to achieve good.
It should be our goal to share this Wharton experience with the world, and to make the world our Wharton community. The principles that we have lived here truly can make the world a better place, and we are the carriers of this message. As you go forward in your chosen career, work for yourself, but never forget our duty to each other, and to humanity.
My friends, it has been a privilege to learn with you, and congratulations.
Last time as a Mini-Cohort leader, last time I will welcome a new class onto campus as a student, and the most sad ... last time the Follies 2009 team got to perform together. I have not decided how I feel about finishing MBA yet. Part of me is excited to be done, and I feel like I have reached the next stage of my life. So, it is good that grad school is ending.
The other part of me knows that life will never quite be like this again. I wish I could just do VAC and GA and Follies and Rugby and Whartones for a living ... but, nothing stops the progression of time.
It is hard to let go and watch the 1st years take charge of everything, you have to fight the urge to micromanage them, and let them find their own way. I know that the new Technical Directors of Follies will do a great job, and I have given them everything I know and all the tools they need.
But now, it is time for a new generation. I did not go out partying with the admits, partly because I was tired, but mostly because they should not be spending time meeting me, they need to focus on the 1st years and their new classmates as they begin this exciting time.
I have been contemplating what I will take away from this experience, and I think my proposed Wharton graduation speech portrays it best. (40 people participated in an election type process, and a good friend of mine, Lou Marchetti, will be honoring us at graduation with his remarks)
But, for my blog audience, here are my thoughts...
Good Afternoon. Mr. Yuunus, President Gutmann, Dean Robertson, Vice Dean Jain, Distinguished Faculty and Guests, and most importantly … the MBA class of 2009:
The Wharton Experience is different for everyone. I am sure if I asked every person sitting here to tell me the one moment from the last 2 years that defines your Wharton experience, you would give me answers almost as diverse as the people.
However, I will attempt to give one answer. And there are many strong possibilities.
Is the Wharton experience?
- Your first friend from Welcome weekend, who came with you through this journey, and will be in your life forever
- A contemplative email from Anjani Jain, the math exam, and the first time you were cold-called
- MBA Café at 3pm, or Koo Plaza on a sunny day in April
- Your learning team meeting to finish the first Marketing 621 case
- MGEC 621, Jeremy Seigel’s Class, Problems in Financial Reporting, Negotiations with Prof. Diamond?
- Whartones Concert, Dance Studio, the Comedy Show, or WICS?
- The Charity Fashion Show, Philly Fight Night, Rebuilding Together, or the Social Impact Club?
- The Conferences (Consulting, Marketing, Finance to name a few)
- The 80s party, Foam Party, Argentinean Asado, the Russian Revelry Night?
- India Club, Israel Club, AAmbaa, Whambaa, Europa?
- Thursday Night Follies, Whalasa After-Parties, Beack Week, Wharton 54 … or is it PUB?
We have had so many incredible times in the last 2 years, it is impossible to list them all, but the sad fact is that somewhere, deep down … we know that this is not reality… that the joy, energy and exploration of our MBA cannot continue indefinitely.
This has been a year of intense change for the world, and this graduation feels a little bit like crawling from under a warm blanket, to the harsh cold of a financial crisis.
I think that leads us to a more important question: What if the Wharton experience is not any of the events I mentioned, but instead the shared value system that we create and embrace, and carry forward with us.
I believe the true Wharton Experience involves 3 things:
First, I think we all have gained a great humility in teamwork and human interaction. I have been exposed to so many incredible and talented people in this class, that I am constantly dazzled. From our learning teams to committees, we cannot assume that we have all the answers … we have learned to respect and rely on each other. This trust and humility allows us to get done more as a group then we possibly could alone, and it will serve us well as we go forward.
Second, we must take our sense of co-production, to use a Wharton buzz-word, and make it larger. The self-driven energy that conceived and executed all those things I mentioned earlier came from us. We create our environment through will alone, and we must remember that we each have the power to affect change. Call it whatever you want: entrepreneurship, co-production, self-motivation … but we must use this same energy to create value and be a force for positive change in our lives.
Third, and perhaps most important, we have built and shaped a vibrant and diverse community of shared experience. Each one of us, for years to come, will recall our friends and colleagues in this class and we will always be able to reach out across the globe, whether it be through email, phone, or perhaps Facebook. We must not let this community die, and as we go about our careers, we must use this resource to help people and to achieve good.
It should be our goal to share this Wharton experience with the world, and to make the world our Wharton community. The principles that we have lived here truly can make the world a better place, and we are the carriers of this message. As you go forward in your chosen career, work for yourself, but never forget our duty to each other, and to humanity.
My friends, it has been a privilege to learn with you, and congratulations.
April 2, 2009
A graduation speech in an alternate universe...
So, just for fun, I auditioned to be the graduation speaker at SAIS. Though, to be fair, I was a pretty big long shot since I have been gone most of the last 2 years, and I didn't think they were going to have a stranger get up there.
So here, for your pleasure, are Alex Fleming's graduation remarks in an alternate universe...
"Mr. Secretary-General, President Daniels, Dean Einhorn, Distinguished Professors and Guests, and … most importantly… my fellow graduates – I would like to thank you for giving me the great honor of speaking to you today.
I don’t know about you. But I have spent a great deal of my time at SAIS in the library.
I imagine, in fact I am sure, that it warms the hearts of our faculty to see the constant traffic jams in Nitze library, and the surge of energy as young idealists grapple with hundreds of years, and thousands of pages of wisdom.
My classes at SAIS have fueled my dreams for the future. I can see, as I look around this room, a gathering of big dreamers. We are driven by the unseen fire to ‘change the world.’ We are not sure how it will manifest itself, but it burns within us, and our growth in the last 2 years has made it brighter.
Interestingly, the world in the last year has presented us with events that may give us a moment of pause.
Now, since I am a Strategic Studies concentrator, I knew as I was preparing these remarks that Professor Cohen would not let me leave this stage unless I quoted either Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, or Winston Churchill.
Luckily for me, Mr. Churchill gave a speech in 1943, which I believe bears on the subject matter. He said:
“The price of greatness is responsibility. If the people of the United States had continued in a mediocre station, struggling with the wilderness, absorbed in their own affairs … they might have remained forgotten and undisturbed beyond their protecting oceans: but one cannot rise to be in many ways the leading community in the civilised world without being involved in its problems, without being convulsed by its agonies and inspired by its causes.”
Well, the global financial crisis has truly convulsed us, and changed the world into which we are emerging. Many of us, and many people throughout the world, are filled with a great sense of uncertainty. This anxiety compounds with the incredible challenges we already face in all corners of the globe.
It is at this moment in history that we, as SAIS graduates, are taking our first professional steps. Therefore, I would like to offer some thoughts on the new roles and new responsibilities we will have as we go forward.
The last year brought us a chorus of new discussions about the role of capitalism in economic history. Indeed, it is a SAIS graduate who is spearheading one of the largest government interventions into the financial markets in the history of the world. We do not know where this historic shift in tools and techniques will settle, but we will be a part of it, and we must be prepared to take on the new roles that emerge.
Much of the response to world events has been irrational anger, mostly from people who do not understand the underlying factors at work. As SAIS graduates, we have been given arguably the most solid foundation in economic theory and practice that a person can have without getting a PhD; so our role in this crisis is to fight irrationality with logic and reason. We must not stand by and allow others to make decisions based on emotion.
The role of regulation and government intervention in the private sector will be drastically different in 5 years time. The end state of this development will involve hundreds of factors, but we will an integral part of its success or failure. We will be the regulators, the practitioners, the policy makers, or we will be advising the leaders who execute this change.
At SAIS, many of us walk and cross over the line between the public and private sectors. With the new interaction between these areas, our role is to maintain the big picture and step back from our daily work to assess long-term goals and priorities, and apply our unique knowledge to produce the best decision.
Whether we find ourselves in government or in business, the world today holds more questions than it ever has. We are the people who will answer these questions, and when our moment comes to offer a solution, we must be ready.
But, as Mr. Churchill said – “the price of greatness is responsibility.”
Our new roles will bring us new responsibilities, and we must not fail in these.
Despite distractions, we must continue to serve the ideal of making the world a better place. 61 years ago the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a document that gives us a vision of a world without hatred or suffering, without oppression and fear. The realization of this vision has proven … illusive.
It is our responsibility to further the achievement of ideals like this even in times of adversity, and not to lose sight of the horizon as we crawl through the weeds.
It is our responsibility to understand global economics and world markets better then the practitioners. If we chose to become practitioners, it is our responsibility to be aware of and monitor the long-term effects of our actions.
It is our responsibility to understand the people of this world and to make them our brothers and sisters. The isolationism and aggression that drives countries apart is born in the fear of the unknown and in the distrust of the stranger.
We, as the SAIS community, understand that all of us can come together as one world. It is our responsibility to spread this knowledge, and to further the understanding between peoples and cultures.
Finally, it is our responsibility to maintain our moral and ethical compass on our path to greatness. It is seductively easy to make compromises during times of bounty, which in times of hardship lead us to bad decisions. It is our responsibility to use our own moral touchstones, our classmates, our professors and our families to stay on the right path.
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” We have the potential for greatness, and as we achieve it, we must not forget our responsibilities.
Thank you, and congratulations."
So here, for your pleasure, are Alex Fleming's graduation remarks in an alternate universe...
"Mr. Secretary-General, President Daniels, Dean Einhorn, Distinguished Professors and Guests, and … most importantly… my fellow graduates – I would like to thank you for giving me the great honor of speaking to you today.
I don’t know about you. But I have spent a great deal of my time at SAIS in the library.
I imagine, in fact I am sure, that it warms the hearts of our faculty to see the constant traffic jams in Nitze library, and the surge of energy as young idealists grapple with hundreds of years, and thousands of pages of wisdom.
My classes at SAIS have fueled my dreams for the future. I can see, as I look around this room, a gathering of big dreamers. We are driven by the unseen fire to ‘change the world.’ We are not sure how it will manifest itself, but it burns within us, and our growth in the last 2 years has made it brighter.
Interestingly, the world in the last year has presented us with events that may give us a moment of pause.
Now, since I am a Strategic Studies concentrator, I knew as I was preparing these remarks that Professor Cohen would not let me leave this stage unless I quoted either Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, or Winston Churchill.
Luckily for me, Mr. Churchill gave a speech in 1943, which I believe bears on the subject matter. He said:
“The price of greatness is responsibility. If the people of the United States had continued in a mediocre station, struggling with the wilderness, absorbed in their own affairs … they might have remained forgotten and undisturbed beyond their protecting oceans: but one cannot rise to be in many ways the leading community in the civilised world without being involved in its problems, without being convulsed by its agonies and inspired by its causes.”
Well, the global financial crisis has truly convulsed us, and changed the world into which we are emerging. Many of us, and many people throughout the world, are filled with a great sense of uncertainty. This anxiety compounds with the incredible challenges we already face in all corners of the globe.
It is at this moment in history that we, as SAIS graduates, are taking our first professional steps. Therefore, I would like to offer some thoughts on the new roles and new responsibilities we will have as we go forward.
The last year brought us a chorus of new discussions about the role of capitalism in economic history. Indeed, it is a SAIS graduate who is spearheading one of the largest government interventions into the financial markets in the history of the world. We do not know where this historic shift in tools and techniques will settle, but we will be a part of it, and we must be prepared to take on the new roles that emerge.
Much of the response to world events has been irrational anger, mostly from people who do not understand the underlying factors at work. As SAIS graduates, we have been given arguably the most solid foundation in economic theory and practice that a person can have without getting a PhD; so our role in this crisis is to fight irrationality with logic and reason. We must not stand by and allow others to make decisions based on emotion.
The role of regulation and government intervention in the private sector will be drastically different in 5 years time. The end state of this development will involve hundreds of factors, but we will an integral part of its success or failure. We will be the regulators, the practitioners, the policy makers, or we will be advising the leaders who execute this change.
At SAIS, many of us walk and cross over the line between the public and private sectors. With the new interaction between these areas, our role is to maintain the big picture and step back from our daily work to assess long-term goals and priorities, and apply our unique knowledge to produce the best decision.
Whether we find ourselves in government or in business, the world today holds more questions than it ever has. We are the people who will answer these questions, and when our moment comes to offer a solution, we must be ready.
But, as Mr. Churchill said – “the price of greatness is responsibility.”
Our new roles will bring us new responsibilities, and we must not fail in these.
Despite distractions, we must continue to serve the ideal of making the world a better place. 61 years ago the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a document that gives us a vision of a world without hatred or suffering, without oppression and fear. The realization of this vision has proven … illusive.
It is our responsibility to further the achievement of ideals like this even in times of adversity, and not to lose sight of the horizon as we crawl through the weeds.
It is our responsibility to understand global economics and world markets better then the practitioners. If we chose to become practitioners, it is our responsibility to be aware of and monitor the long-term effects of our actions.
It is our responsibility to understand the people of this world and to make them our brothers and sisters. The isolationism and aggression that drives countries apart is born in the fear of the unknown and in the distrust of the stranger.
We, as the SAIS community, understand that all of us can come together as one world. It is our responsibility to spread this knowledge, and to further the understanding between peoples and cultures.
Finally, it is our responsibility to maintain our moral and ethical compass on our path to greatness. It is seductively easy to make compromises during times of bounty, which in times of hardship lead us to bad decisions. It is our responsibility to use our own moral touchstones, our classmates, our professors and our families to stay on the right path.
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” We have the potential for greatness, and as we achieve it, we must not forget our responsibilities.
Thank you, and congratulations."
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