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(l-r) Garry Thaniel (’04), manager, A.T. Kearney; John “J.D.” Moriarty (’94), managing director, head of technology, Equity Capital Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Jane Elfers, president and CEO of The Children’s Place; Frank Brown (‘78), chief operating officer, General Atlantic; and Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money, co-host of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street |
WE DO Management Education Event NYC
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Release Date: Thursday, May 01, 2014
Media Contact: Evelyn Weiss Francisco (201) 796-7788
Alumni, Families Gather for Campaign Program at Cipriani Wall
NEW YORK, N.Y., May 1, 2014 – It might seem ambitious for a liberal arts university from the “wilds” of central Pennsylvania to draw more than 500 attendees to a Wall Street venue for a fund-raising program on a weeknight. And while the number exceeded expectations, the turnout for the school’s “WE DO” Management Education event this spring was not a total surprise according to Michael Johnson-Cramer, director of the School of Management at Bucknell University.
The fully accredited Bucknell management school is recognized among the top 5 percent of business schools in the world. “A large concentration of our alumni end up working on Wall Street, and 92 percent of our alumni have supported Bucknell at some point in their careers,” Johnson-Cramer said. “When we brought our campaign here, we knew a strong group of energetic, passionate Bucknellians would respond. The attendance reflected the intense loyalty, support and passion of our New York City-area alumni, family and friends for this school.”
The WE DO Campaign for Bucknell is a half-a-billion dollar initiative that publically launched in late 2012. Since then, WE DO road shows in cities nationwide have drawn a similarly strong response. Among its main priorities, the school is looking to increase funding for scholarships and financial aid. The April Management Education program was the second to focus on a specific area of the campaign: the Management Education Initiative.
Held at Cipriani Wall Street, the event featured a panel discussion moderated by Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money, co-host of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street and a future Bucknell parent. A group of accomplished, high-profile alumni including Jane Elfers (’83), president and CEO of The Children’s Place, also participated.
“What would the world be without education?” Elfers asked, adding that the liberal arts/business combination at Bucknell nurtured the communication and collaboration that was critical to her own success and that of many Bucknell graduates who have come to work for her retail corporation based in Secaucus, N.J. “Bucknellians demonstrate a bias for action – they have no agenda and appreciate the opportunity to work and learn, and they possess a loyalty and passion that is inspiring.”
BUILDING A STRONGER SCHOOL
Those attributes, and the unique position of the Bucknell School of Management, is what makes taking the program to the next level a top priority, according to Johnson-Cramer. “We have a student body in management, 500-strong, so full of promise and potential,” he said. “And we have a vision for building this School into something greater. Bucknell’s distinctive strategic position is its ability to integrate management, engineering, and the arts and sciences. Most small liberal arts colleges don’t have all three, and large universities are too big to exploit the synergies. The School of Management is working to realize this potential.”
Among a number of initiatives toward this goal, the School of Management is seeking support for the creation of a world-class facility for management education at Bucknell. “We need to deliver on our vision of experiential education,” Johnson-Cramer said. “And we need it as a physical reminder of the School’s central role in Bucknell’s future.”
“With a robust School of Management to compliment its College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences, Bucknell is establishing itself as being unique among its peers and in higher education in general,” said Steve Holmes, chairman and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide and chair of the WE DO Campaign. “That diverse educational experience leads to graduates who I, and others like me, want working at our companies. ”
Other alumni panelists included Frank Brown (‘78), chief operating officer, General Atlantic; John “J.D.” Moriarty (’94), managing director, head of technology, Equity Capital Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Garry Thaniel (’04), manager, A.T. Kearney. Additional speakers at the event included Christopher O’Brien (’80), president, O’Brien Capital Advisors; and William Gruver, professor of Management Practice, Howard I Scott chair and retired Goldman Sachs partner.
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About Bucknell University
Bucknell University was founded in 1846 and is located along the banks of the Susquehanna River in historic Lewisburg, Pa. It is the largest and one of the most highly ranked liberal arts universities in the country. Students choose from more than 110 majors and minors in the arts, engineering, humanities, management, and social and natural sciences, as well as extensive global study, service-learning and research opportunities. The school has 3,500 undergraduates and 100 graduate students from across the world.