Wharton Leadership Ventures

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Wharton Leadership Ventures

• Venture Fellow Recruiting
• Information Session
• March 9, 2007
• 430 PM

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Agenda

• Wharton Leadership Ventures
• Venture Calendar 2007 2008
• Role of the Venture Fellow
• Selection Process
• QA

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Leadership Ventures are

• Co-curricular experiential learning opportunities
  to continue to develop your leadership and
  teamwork skills
• A set of engaging, hands-on experiences for
  exploring and mastering the capabilities for
  effective individual and team leadership in
  business and beyond
• Intended to assist participants in improving
  their capacity to think strategically,
  communicate effectively, and act decisively
• Designed to foster forward thinking, a bias for
  action, risk awareness, and fast decisions in
  situations of ambiguity and incomplete information

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Our Mission
To develop leaders who act with a deeper
understanding of themselves, their organizations,
and their communities, and contribute positively
to the growth of each.
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Our Mission
To develop leaders who act with a deeper
understanding of themselves, their
organizations, and their communities, and
contribute positively to the growth of each.
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Experiential Learning Model
Source Kolb (1984), Experiential Learning
Experience as the Source of Learning and
Development
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Risks Activities
Wharton Leadership Ventures is committed to
promoting a positive learning environment and the
physical and emotional well-being of our
students. We believe that our students are
intelligent adults who can make appropriate
decisions for themselves. Our commitment to you
is to provide you with timely, accurate
information about the activities included in each
of our ventures. You are ultimately responsible
for your decisions.
Wharton Leadership Ventures involve real risk.
Outdoor activities present real hazards. Many of
our courses are isolated expeditions which can
create complex emergency situations with no
simple solutions. Medical assistance and/or
evacuation may be days away. We do not and
cannot guarantee your safety.
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Venture Calendar 2007-2008
Shafers Rock 36 Hour Adventure October 2007
(Earth Treks) Antarctica Trekking January
2008 (Vertical) Ecuador Mountaineering
January 2008 (Earth Treks) Teton Valley
Backcountry Skiing January 2008 (NOLS)
Adirondack Ice Climbing - February 2008 (Earth
Treks) Caribbean Sailing March 2008
(Offshore Sailing School) Ecuador Mountaineering
March 2008 (Earth Treks) Patagonia Trekking
March 2008 (Vertical) Alaska Mountaineering
May 2008 (NOLS) Atacama Desert Trekking May
2008 (Vertical) Kilimanjaro Mountaineering May
2008 (Earth Treks) Also, Quantico in September
2007 and April 2008
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Role of the Venture Fellow

• General Expectations
• Pre-Trip
• Trip
• Post-Trip

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General Expectations

• Act as ambassadors of the Wharton Leadership
  Ventures and the Graduate Leadership Program
• Model appropriate behaviors reinforcing the
  leadership development focus of the Ventures
• Build/maintain a close relationship with your
  Venture participants
• Support development in every individual
• Work closely with Venture and Outfitter staff on
  curriculum design and delivery

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Pre-Venture Expectations

• Coordinate and deliver pre-trip information
  sessions, gear checks, and training hikes and/or
  other activities.
• Manage the participant and wait lists, including
  the timely submission of applications, medical
  forms, and financial payments.
• Develop a Venture plan in conjunction with
  Venture and Outfitter staff
• Conduct 1-on-1 goal discussions with Venture
  participants

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On-Venture Expectations

• Execute your Venture plan to the best of your
  abilities while being flexible if changes are
  needed.
• Support and train the Leaders of the Day on the
  Venture, including coaching related to
  preparation, framing, implementation, and debrief
  of daily activities.
• Act as primary Wharton representative

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Post-Venture Expectations

• Conduct and analyze post-Venture survey focused
  on continuous improvement of Venture.
• Conduct an after-action review and submit an
  after-action report on the Venture.
• Provide the Wharton Leadership Ventures with a CD
  containing all planning documents and
  communications with the participants and a Best
  of Photo CD/DVD.

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Other Expectations

• Acting fully as a Venture Fellow for the entire
  school year from the time you are selected to be
  a Fellow until the end of the 2007 Spring
  Semester.
• Develop and execute a plan for personal
  leadership growth over the course of your time as
  a Fellow
• Attend and participate in all Venture Fellow
  trainings.
• Participate in the Venture Fellows recruiting
  process for the following year.

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Venture Fellow Coordinator

• Facilitate the development of the Venture Fellow
  community, from formation to goodbye
• Work closely with Venture staff to implement
  various Venture Fellow events
• Ad hoc projects, as needed
• The Venture Fellow Coordinator role is an add-on
  role for one Venture Fellow this students main
  role is as the Venture Fellow for an individual
  Venture.

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Venture Fellow Competencies
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Some Benefits

• Developmental opportunity designed to build
  skills and experience around leadership,
  management, facilitation, communication, and
  outdoor/environmental ethics.
• Land costs funded by program
• Training curriculum (WFA, NOLS, Outward Bound,
  Prof. Mike Useem)

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Training Dates (mostly final)

• Expedition Leadership (NOLS)
  depart late Thursday 9/27, return early evening
  Sunday 9/30
• Wilderness First Aid (WMI of NOLS)
  9 am 5 pm, Friday 10/19 and Saturday 10/20
• Thunderswamp Trekking Leadership Venture (NOLS)
  depart late Thursday 11/15, return early evening
  Sunday 11/18

Wow, thats 3 weekends of training in 8 weeks!
Can I handle that kind of a commitment?
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A Reinforcing Photo
Wow, thats 3 weekends of training in 8 weeks!
Can I handle that kind of a commitment?
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Application Process

• Important Dates
• Wed 3/14, 12-3 pm VF Office Hours
• Thurs 3/15, 12-3 pm (MBA Café)
• Mon 3/19 500 PM Applications Due
• Sat 3/24 500 PM Interview Invitations
• Mon 3/26 Fri 4/6 Interviews
• Fri 4/13 Venture Fellows Offers
• Target Class Size of 24 Venture Fellows

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Notes on the Process

• We select the best 24 Venture Fellows, and then
  we assign them to Ventures. In other words, your
  Venture preferences do not influence the
  selection process.
• You do not need to have participated in a Venture
  to be a Venture Fellow (7 of 24 VFs this year did
  not).
• Last year 61 applications, 40 interviews, 24 VFs

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Alaska Leadership Venture
2 Spots Left!!!
Email me!
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What questions do you have?