Wharton's Worldly New Dean

(page 3 of 3)

Tom Robertson Jon Rhou

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Making Wharton stand out from its competitors

Wharton needs a leader who will continue to help the school distinguish itself from its competitors, said Fernandes of the AACSB. This is where Robertson's strong marketing background will help the school, he said. —When you get to the top of the heap, having a little extra edge in the marketing of a business school is probably that little edge you need to distinguish yourself," Fernandes said.

Indeed, Hawawini, the former dean of Insead, said Robertson will need to come up with fresh ideas and innovations for the school. "His top challenge is that Wharton does not need fixing," Hawawini said. "Maintaining the status

quo, however, may not be the recipe for continued success."

Robertson said he plans to come up with fresh and innovative ideas to keep the school ahead of its competitors. The school's administration, alumni and students have high expectations for him, he said. "Wharton is used to being a super B-school and having top rankings. We have to continue that and at the same time move in new directions because the world doesn't stand still," Robertson said.

Retaining Wharton's faculty and attracting new professors

Harker said in a 2006 interview with BusinessWeek that he believed one of the primary challenges facing his successor would be to retain the school's top-notch faculty (see BusinessWeek.com, 12/10/06, "Leaving a 'Global Mindset'"). During his time at the school, he helped grow the size of the faculty, as well as attract those with new academic expertise.

Robertson said he is aware of the fierce competition between business schools for talented faculty. He plans to work at developing strong relationships with the existing faculty, while continuing to look for new talent. "The faculty wants to know the school has a vision for the future and that it will remain a top-flight business school," he said. "I have to present that vision and encourage and nurture the faculty and continue to hire really great ones."

Fundraising

Robertson was praised by President Gutmann and Provost Daniels for being a "highly successful fundraiser." Raising money for Wharton will be one of his top priorities, especially as the university embarks on a new capital campaign. A previous capital campaign at the school raised $450 million, the largest sum in the school's history. The money will be needed to recruit and retain faculty and global brand-building.

Alumni said they are confident that Robertson will be able to thrive in this role. "To bring on this new dean, who has international experience and more importantly, can bring a lot of marketing depth to the table, was a very wise decision on the part of the university's board of trustees," said Tama Smith, the current chairman of Wharton's Global Alumni Association.

Damast is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.