Artist Hosts MBA Alumni at Exhibition Opening

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (August 4, 2009) – Penn State connections brought a group of Smeal College of Business MBA alumni together at a New York art gallery this summer for the opening of an exhibition showcasing the works of an emeritus Penn State faculty member.

Richard Mayhew, emeritus professor of Art in Penn State's School of Visual Arts, is considered one of the greatest living landscape painters. When his latest exhibition opened at Zone: Contemporary Art in Midtown Manhattan this summer, he invited his longtime friend Vernis Welmon, Smeal associate dean of diversity and community, to attend the artist's reception on opening night, along with a small group of Smeal MBA alumni living in the New York area.

In addition to the meet-and-greet with Mayhew, a Penn State professor from 1977 to 1991, and a firsthand tour of his "Monument" exhibition, the event provided an occasion for the alumni to create new connections and refresh existing relationships with their fellow Smeal MBA graduates in the area. With the level of uncertainty in the job market reaching new levels, the social event came at the perfect time for alumni looking to expand their personal network.

"There are hundreds of Smeal MBA alumni living and working in New York City, but it's not always easy leveraging that connection to Smeal between our alums who graduated years, and in some cases, decades, apart," says Welmon. "Richard provided us with an incredible opportunity to bring together a diverse group of MBA alumni in a social setting, to get to know each other and build upon their common experiences at Smeal and in their professional lives in New York."

And at least one relationship formed at the art gallery has already translated into professional growth.

"Just last week I received an e-mail from one of our alumna at the event saying that she is now doing some volunteer work with a person she met that night," Welmon says. "She's gaining exposure to different organizations and new people. She's expanding her network of contacts and getting her name out there as she is looking for a job. These are the types of connections events like this one can forge."

Welmon is currently exploring opportunities to hold similar events for MBA alumni in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The events are part of the college's "Smeal for Life" program, which seeks to keep Smeal alumni connected to each other and the college to expand the professional network of the alumni while enriching the educational experience of current students.