Fall 1999

William Poole, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, addressed students and faculty in April on the topic, "The Federal Reserve as a Democratic Institution."

The well-attended lecture was the latest in an annual series sponsored by the Department of Economics and the Financial Institutions Research and Education Center in honor of Harry Hutchinson, professor emeritus of economics.

Poole directs the Federal Reserve's head office in St. Louis, as well as its three branches in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. He also represents the bank on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve's chief monetary policy-making body. Poole was the Herbert H. Goldberger Professor of Economics at Brown University. He also was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 1982-1985.

The annual lecture is part of the Hutchinson Scholars Program, established to honor the distinguished teaching career of Dr. Harry Hutchinson upon his retirement. Each year, the Hutchinson Scholars Program provides recognition to several outstanding students in the College of Business and Economics.

The 1999 lecture was preceded by a dinner in Poole's honor, which was attended by faculty, members of the business community and the Hutchinson Scholars. The Scholars included Adam Molinaro of Bel Air, Md.; Steven Rothman of Kendall Park, N.J.; Katie Queen of Camden, Del.; and Stephanie Vega of Alexandria, Va., all members of the Class of 1999.

The College inaugurated the Executive Leadership Lecture Series last year, with support from the Chaplin Tyler Endowment Fund. The series sustains Chaplin and Elizabeth Tyler's commitment to education and determination to help young people achieve success in the business world.

Speakers for 1998-99 were:

• Dennis J. Purcell, managing director, investment banking, Hambrecht & Quist Inc.;
• Elizabeth A. Sonders, managing director, Avatar Associates;
• Carol A. Ammon, president and CEO, ENDO Pharmaceuticals Inc.;
• Edgar S. Woolard Jr., former chairman of the board, DuPont, and current chairman of the board, Conoco;
• Bruce L. Hammonds, executive vice chairman and chief operating officer; and Lance L. Weaver, senior vice chairman and chief administrative officer, MBNA America Bank.

Held in the Chaplin Tyler Atrium of MBNA America Hall, the lectures were well-attended by students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

For information about the 1999-2000 Executive Leadership Lecture Series, visit our web page at <www.mba.udel.edu> or call (302) 831-2221.

More than 300 people witnessed 20 African-American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American members of the Class of 1999 present a gift of $6,000 to support the scholarship program administered by the College's Fortune 2000 Program. The check presentation was made during the program's annual student recognition banquet, held May 22 in the Trabant University Center.

Fortune 2000 allows prospective employers to assist business minority students in developing interpersonal and social skills required for business success.

The theme of the evening was "Developing Business Leaders for the New Millennium," an acknowledgment of the 20 senior participants in the Fortune 2000 Program. Jeffrey Martini, assistant vice president of MBNA America Bank, addressed the group about leadership, and Dean Kenneth Biederman formally recognized the academic success of other students who were present. Norman Hatter, chairperson of the program's Steering Committee and member of the College's Visiting Committee, delivered a speech titled "Requirements and Rewards of Leadership."

Culminating the evening's events was the presentation by the Class of 1999. Three class representatives--James Deas, an operations management major from East Orange, N.J.; Nicole Jetter, a marketing major from Leonia, N.J.; and Karen Perez, a marketing major from Newark, N.J.--thanked the Fortune 2000 Program for the academic and scholarship support, as well as the professional development opportunities that were offered to all the students. They noted that their class members wanted to give something back to the College.

The participants' accomplishments showcased during the ceremony are indicative of the overall success of Fortune 2000. Since its inception, the program has increased the enrollment of ethnically diverse undergraduate students in the College from 4 percent in 1992 to 12 percent in 1999. The program also has assisted more than 200 graduates in obtaining challenging career-related positions in the marketplace.

The Executive MBA Program launched its sixth class in August. The program, which began in 1994, now has 110 alumni and continues to attract outstanding candidates. EMBA students have significant work experience (approximately 14 years on average) and come from varied backgrounds. Some of the companies represented are DuPont, First USA, AstraZeneca, MBNA America Bank, ICI and Hercules. Each class also includes entrepreneurs and professionals.

Recently, the program participated in its first benchmark study of student satisfaction. The study, sponsored by the Executive MBA Council, measured the satisfaction of the EMBA students upon graduation in 1997/1998. The University's results were compared with those from 62 other EMBA programs. In addition, a comparison was made among six selected peer schools.

The results were impressive. One hundred percent of the UD Executive MBA students who responded said the program performed "extremely well"--the best result possible on the survey. The program also received high marks in the areas of faculty teaching effectiveness, curriculum and the program's ability to advance the students' careers.

For more information on the Executive MBA Program, contact the MBA Programs Office at (302) 831-2221, e-mail <e-mba@udel.edu> or visit the web site at <www.mba.udel.edu/emba>.