Postcards from MBA Orientation-- August 19-23, 2002
Our first day lunch was served in one of the school's three large atriums.
Pictured above with students is Cherie Scricca, associate dean of master's
programs and career services.
Dean Howard Frank (wearing the tie) is an eminent electrical engineer,
entrepreneur, and information technology expert. His passion for the school
shows in everything he does.
There are 199 of us in the 2004 MBA class, from as close as Bethesda, Maryland,
and as far away as Beijing.
That's (l to r) Cara Mattison, Greg Deviny, and Laura Grandy. They're the
second year MBAs responsible for organizing the weeklong affair.
We toured the building and filed into the Supply Chain Netcentricity
Laboratory. It's so technologically advanced, it's the only certified Sun
Microsystems iFORCE center in academia.
The Netcentric Financial Markets Laboratory provides the latest financial
trading technology, including direct feeds from markets around the world.
David Goldfarb (Smith '79) spoke to us about the importance of acquiring the
right experience and skills to be leaders. He stressed the need to keep a
healthy balance in our lives between our work and play. He came down from New
York, where he's chief financial officer at Lehman Brothers.
As part of the team-building exercises, we were harnessed and were tethered
by ropes controlled by our teammates on the ground.
Point is, just like in the real world, if you don't have a good, confident
team, you'll fall.
Here's a ground crew in action. Their job was to prevent the climber from
falling to the ground and then lowering them after the ascent.
Don't try this at home.
Cool, calm, collected--typical Smith MBA.
At the other end of this rope is a human being helplessly suspended in
mid-air.
We had to use our brains (and our backs) to get over an "electrified" fence.
Meanwhile, ground crews kept a constant vigil.
But one crew took time to capture the moment.
We formed circles never to be broken...
And started to get to know each other and feel comfortable.
It's not about climbing the corporate ladder...
Or setting the world on fire...
But to learn you cannot do it by yourself.
It's going to take teamwork...
Terrific people...
And a great attitude...
To soar to new heights.
