Whoosh! The sound of the torrent of time rushing past. I’m nearly half-way through the program! Strategic Management class has ended and Global Markets class has begun. The good news is that MIT is like dog years; you get as much done here in one year as you do anywhere else in seven!
In early October we had Convocation, an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Sloan Fellows Program and the 25th Anniversary of the Management of Technology Program. (http://mitsloan.mit.edu/alumni/convocation2005/a-main.php - make sure to see the events calendar) These programs have now merged to form my program, the Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership (http://mitsloan.mit.edu/fellows/). It was a few fabulous days of speakers, classes, and social events. Also exciting for us was the announcement of a scholarship fund for the program, initially to be focused on third-world applicants. Approximately 500 alumni came together and I met wonderful people. I met one of the original proponents of the four day workweek, got thesis advice, and befriended possible future business partners. Carly Fiorina gave an inspiring talk; we’ll need to wait and see if she’s going to run for office.
I haven’t talked much about the program specifically, but encourage you to look at the profiles of the class. (http://mitsloan.mit.edu/fellows/profileflash.php) From this page, you can click on any picture and read a short statement about each of these impressive people. These little profiles only scratch the surface, though. For example, I interviewed a classmate for an assignment and discovered that he was in business at 14 and had twenty employees by 19! He’s apparently the person behind a very well known, early internet based multi-user communications system. I also discovered that my study group mate – the doctor/lawyer/publisher – also was Director of Moody’s China for four years!
I’ve finally gotten off-campus a little. One of the convocation events was a reception at the Museum of Fine Arts (http://www.mfa.org/). It was such an impressive place that I went back shortly thereafter with a new friend from Perth, Australia (spouse of a classmate). I always enjoy Asian collections and there’s a traveling Ansel Adams exhibit, so that made for a great day. Also, attended the opening of a new Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science (http://www.mos.org/doc/1857); this is a great exhibit that will eventually travel to other cities. There are lots of hands-on activities – you don’t need to bring a child to enjoy it!
The speakers just keep coming! In the same week, I heard a terrific talk geared towards the Computer Science majors by Steven Sinofsky, SVP responsible for Microsoft Outlook (with a sneak peek at the next version) and another one geared to the business folks by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft! Stephen Wolfram (http://www.stephenwolfram.com/), creator of Mathematica, winner of a MacArthur Genius grant talked over my head for two hours but it was fascinating. Even, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, recipient of a 2005 Nobel Prize and current Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (http://mit.edu/nse/) has been here.
