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Wharton-Omnicom
Communication Fellows Program
The
Wharton School has announced the creation of the Wharton-Omnicom
Communication Fellows Program. The initiative will support the training
of 40 MBA and other Penn graduate students to serve as written and
verbal communications coaches for Management Communication, a core
course taken by all Wharton MBA students during their first year
of study. A second component of the gift will be used to support
the development of a technology-enhanced distance-writing program
that will be implemented by Wharton-Omnicom Communication Fellows.
"This
gift to the Wharton Communication Program underscores our commitment
to prepare business leaders who are able not only to formulate vision
and strategy, but also to communicate them to employees, shareholders
and the public," said Wharton Dean Patrick T. Harker. "Omnicom shares
Wharton's relentless focus on innovation and global leadership,
and we are proud to partner with the School to build the world's
premier communication program in a business school," said Randall
J. Weisenburger, Omnicom Group's executive vice president and chief
financial officer. Mr. Weisenburger, a 1987 Wharton MBA graduate,
is a member of the School's Graduate Executive Board.
The
Wharton Communication Program is among the first of the leading
business schools teaching students to deal effectively with the
media. According to the Program's director, Lisa Warshaw, "Wharton
prepares business leaders; dealing effectively with the media is
integral to our students' success." Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC)
www.omnicomgroup.com is a leading global marketing and corporate
communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous
specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and
buying, direct and promotional marketing, public relations, and
other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in
more than 100 countries.
Surveys
of Wharton alumni explicitly show that clear and persuasive communication
is critical in business. The retooled Wharton Communication Program
is a valuable resource helping students avoid the scenario above.
The program's cornerstone, Management Communication (WHCP 653),
is a class required of all first-year MBA students. With six classes
over the course of a quarter, students learn and practice effective
oral presentation skills, polish these skills in front of a critical
audience, and try new communication techniques in a non-threatening
situation. Critical skills covered include persuasion, professional
PowerPoint presentations, the graphical display of data, ad hoc
elevator speeches, and handling media relations. The program also
offers an array of non-credit communication workshops during pre-term
and throughout the year.
"As
an investment banker, I saw very bright people whose careers were
derailed because they couldn't communicate well. I don't want that
to ever happen to our students," said program director Lisa Warshaw.
"My goal is for an employer to assume: 'If I hire a Wharton grad,
I'll have hired an effective communicator.'"
Student
presentations, which occur five times during the course, are videotaped
and critiqued by instructors and peers. The program plans to expand
the presentation media to include written communications. The initiative
will support the training of 40 second-year MBA and other Penn graduate
students to serve as written and verbal communications coaches for
Management Communication. A second component of the gift will be
used to support the development of a technology-enhanced distance-writing
program. To learn more about communications at Wharton, visit the
Wharton-Omnicom Communication Fellows Program, at http://rider.wharton.upenn.edu/~commprog/.
Almanac, Vol. 48, No. 6, October 2, 2001
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ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
Tuesday,
October 2, 2001
Volume 48 Number 6
www.upenn.edu/almanac/
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