Director's Message: Tell Us What You Think

Having just completed my first six months on the job, I thought the time might be right to ask for your assistance in helping me to assess the effectiveness of SageConnection as an alumni communications resource. All of us here have enjoyed bringing you the latest news from Sage Hall and keeping you up to date on alumni events happening around the country and around the world. We have added two new features—a Director's Message and Alumni Profiles—that help us highlight alumni program priorities and showcase alumni accomplishments. We have also brought you pictures of alumni events that have been skillfully and enthusiastically organized by our regional club leaders. We look forward to continuing these efforts, and, most of all, to hearing from you about how we can further improve.

Please take a moment to complete the reader survey and share your feedback with us. I thank you, in advance, for your time and assistance, and I wish you a very enjoyable conclusion to your summer.

Risa M. Mish '85, JD '88
Director, Alumni Relations

Associate Dean Dick Shafer was the conference chair for the 2003 annual industry conference of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) this past June. At this high-profile meeting of deans and other admissions professionals from U.S. business schools, Shafer addressed "The MBA Value Proposition" and urged his colleagues to take a hard, cold look at the current state of the degree and business schools. Conference attendees discussed the issues facing business schools, their responsibility in developing the next generations of leaders; specific subjects including ethics, leadership, diversity, social responsibility and the MBA's return on investment. Dean Swieringa and Office of Women and Minorities in Business Director Angela Noble-Grange '94 also presented talks at the conference.

Dean Swieringa was the plenary speaker for the annual conference of the MBA Career Services Council (MBACSC), also in June. Speaking about the challenges of the past year for business schools and the general economy, Swieringa encouraged his listeners to put in perspective the recent factors and events affecting the business world. He also enumerated several present and future challenges facing business schools specifically, such as meeting corporations' higher expectations, developing cross-functional learning environments and expanding curricula. Then, Swieringa spoke about the business school of the future, saying that schools will work more closely with corporate partners, build high-level flexibility into their organizations, and increasingly integrate academic and practical learning to yield more reality-based educational experiences.

New Program Teams Entrepreneurs with Legal Services
A new program at Cornell, Entrepreneurship Legal Services (ELS), will soon be offering professional-quality legal services to emerging growth-oriented businesses. The program is sponsored by the Johnson Graduate School of Management and Cornell Law School and affiliated with the New York State Science and Technology Law Center, a nonprofit organization that works to expand entrepreneurial resources. ELS-affiliated law students, working with established firms, including local attorneys, will begin serving clients in late August.

"Often entrepreneurs fail to seek legal counsel until after problems arise," says Zachary Shulman, executive director of ELS, a J. Thomas Clark Senior Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Johnson School and an adjunct faculty member at the Law School. "We will encourage interested clients to seek legal guidance from the beginning of their ventures and help them avoid common pitfalls."

ELS will address business law issues that entrepreneurs typically encounter, including choosing an appropriate type of business entity, legal formation of the business entity, contract drafting, fund raising, employer-employee relations, and establishing equity incentive and related stock-based compensation plans. ELS will not represent parties in litigation nor will it practice before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or draft patent applications. Fees will be $25 an hour for student assistance; law firms affiliated with the program will provide mentoring pro bono.

For information on ELS, see http://els.cornell.edu.

	John Alexander, MBA '76, president of The CBORD Group, Inc., won Ernst & Young's Technology Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Upstate New York region. Upon being presented with the award in a July 22, 2003, ceremony in Rochester, NY, Alexander said, "This is a special honor. I wish that all of my employees, business partners and clients could have been there to receive the award with me, as it truly represents 28 years of their dedication to CBORD's success." The CBORD Group is the world's primary supplier of computer software systems for food and nutrition services, and the leading supplier of computer systems for integrated cashless/campus card and housing management.
	Lauren Brisky, MBA '75, was elected to the board of directors of Abercrombie & Fitch, a retail company with 615 stores throughout the United States. Brisky is vice chancellor for administration and chief financial officer at Vanderbilt University. She serves as the financial liaison for the university's Audit, Budget and Executive Committees, and provides direct leadership for the Division of Administration, which includes Accounting, Financial Management, Financial Analysis, Campus Planning and Construction, Management Information Systems, Telecommunications, and Human Resources. She is also chair of the board for the Girl Scout Council of Cumberland Valley, a member of the Board of Governors for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Board of Trustees for Simmons College, where she serves as chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive Committee.
	Donna Spinella, MBA '86, was named Associate Dean for Executive Programs at the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business, where she is responsible for the coordination and management of the school's executive MBA programs in Rochester, NY, Nyenrode, the Netherlands, and Bern, Switzerland., as well as for the school's Executive Seminar Programs. Before joining the Simon School, Dean Spinella was the assistant dean for The Duke MBA-Cross-Continent at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and served as the director of alumni and international relations at the Johnson School.
	Jaime Rivera, MBA '78, was appointed CEO of Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A. (BLADEX), effective January 1, 2004. Rivera joined BLADEX in March 2002 from Bank of America, where he spent more than 20 years in commercial banking, focusing on Latin America, with postings in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, and Guatemala. BLADEX is a multinational bank established by the Central Banks of the Latin American and Caribbean countries. Based in Panama, its shareholders include central and commercial banks in 23 countries in the region, as well as international banks and private investors. Total assets at March 31, 2003, were $2.9 billion. Rivera notes that as pleased as he is to be named CEO, his real pride and joy are his two sons, Carlos, who is a junior at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Stefano, who is considering applying to Cornell.

September 5
Ithaca, NY
First Annual Black Graduate Business Association Symposium, "The Johnson Black Alumni Connection." Included in the symposium programming will be a Distinguished Alumni Award honoring Wilbur Parker, MBA '50. For more information and questions, please contact the Black Graduate Business Association directly, subject line: JBAC. To receive a registration form, please contact Ginny Starr.

September 10
New York City
New World vs Old World Wines, 6:30 p.m. Come join the Johnson Club of Greater New York at the Clockwork-Apple Gallery, 32B Gansevoort Street, opposite from Pastis in the West Village (http://www.funwithwine.com/info.asp?EventID=3987). Specific information regarding cost will be sent out shortly. For more information, please contact Jeff Fenigstein or Athena Dratelis.

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