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Nearly 1,000 alumni and friends of the school gathered at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago on November 5 for the ninth annual Alumni Celebration. The black-tie dinner launched a weekend of events, including the dedication of the Chicago GSB Hyde Park Center, back-to-the-classroom sessions, and a keynote address by former secretary of state and former dean George Shultz.
University president Don Randel opened the evening with a toast to the beginning of a great new era in the history of the Graduate School of Business, now housed in a magnificent new building but powered from withinthe kind of ideas that will change the way the world does business.
The celebration was attended by the many people responsible for the new Hyde Park Centerand alumni from as far as Mexico City and Brussels who came to witness this historic event in the life of the school.
Architect Rafael Viñoly discussed the creation of the Hyde Park Center , noting that there couldn’t be a better place for an architect to try his or her trade than a community like this.
The evening celebrated not only the opening of the Hyde Park Center but also the achievements of four alumni selected by their peers to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards. Tao Huang, ’99 (XP-68), COO of Morningstar, was presented with the Young Alumni Award; Andrew M. Alper, AB ’80, MBA ’81, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, received the Public Sector/Public Service Award; theatrical producer Richard H. Steiner, ’70, was given the Entrepreneurial Award; and Richard F. Teerlink, ’76 (XP-36), retired chairman, president, and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc. received the Corporate Award.
The evening’s emcee was Harry Davis, Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management. Dean Edward A. Snyder recognized Davis for two major contributions to the GSB: the New Product Laboratory and the Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD) program. The New Product Laboratory, created in 1978, provides opportunities for students to codesign new products in partnership with major companies. Now known as the Management Lab, it requires students to tackle corporate strategy and structure as well. The LEAD program, initiated in 1989, focuses on management communication, decision making, ethics, and interpersonal skills through experiential learning.
The presentations were followed by dancing to the Stitely Orchestra.