2003 …Return to Darden
The Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia was the third school to re-host the GBC. Like their first GBC that Darden hosted in 1989, Charlottesville and the School provided an excellent venue for the Conference, held 3-6 April.
After a Friday welcome address by Dean Bob Harris, keynote speaker, Steve Reinemund, CEO of Pepsi, kicked off the GBC theme, Innovate, in grand style at the posh Darden auditorium. In addition to a heart-warming and personal address, Steve Reinemund was presented with the 2003 Business Leadership Award.
Friday followed with several compelling panels and speakers, including Chic Thompson of What at Great Idea,and Architecture and Design Innovator, Jack McDonough, former Dean of the University of Virginia School of Architecture.
For the first time in GBC History, student workshops commenced on Friday afternoon (vice Saturday), and were highlighted by a vigorous leadership presentation by Darden Faculty Professor Alec Horniman and Barbara Millar. Friday evening took the student delegates to U Va’s Central Grounds and Thomas Jefferson’s famedLawn, where dinner was held at the Colonnades. In addition to a delicious buffet dinner, the delegates were introduced to the Stockholm School of Economics delegates’ traditional toast.
Saturday sessions resumed, with the two all-day student workshops in parallel tracks—The President’s Forum facilitated by the GBF, and the Student Leadership workshops. In an effort to make these valuable best practice sessions continue year ‘round, the minutes and other information from these sessions have been posted to the GBF Yahoo Group, a recent innovation from the GBF.
Saturday afternoon saw five schools bid to host GBC 2005, including Manchester, Rochester, Copenhagen, Case Western and Indiana. In a close ballot, the Kelley School at the University of Indiana won the competition. The day closed with a tour of Monticello and dinner at historic Ash Lawn, where Holly Goodrich from University of Texas was awarded the 2003 Student Leadership Award for founding the Texas MBA Hedge Fund.
A warm thanks to Ben Yorker and the rest of the Darden Student Organizing Committee for their hard work and most professional GBC execution.
