In-person MBA Reunion Weekend offers alumni chance to reconnect and reminisce

On May 6-7, the Carlson School welcomed MBA alumni and friends back to campus to celebrate the inaugural in-person Reunion Weekend. MBA graduates celebrating milestones from their 50th to their 1st Reunion came together to reconnect, network, and learn from faculty and fellow alumni.

The weekend kicked off on Friday, May 6, with a special breakfast celebrating the Class of 1972, hosted by Dean Sri Zaheer and the Reunion’s honorary chair Bill Walter ’72 MBA. Members of the class celebrating their 50th Reunion joined Professors Emeritus Norm Chervany and Bill Rudelius to discuss how much the school has evolved in 50 years: when the MBA program had fewer students, the school was unnamed, and neither of the two buildings that now house the Carlson School existed.  

With some alumni on campus for the first time since their graduation decades ago, the weekend included several lifelong learning sessions featuring beloved Carlson School faculty as well as experts from their MBA cohorts. Sessions such as a panel on the healthcare industry moderated by Professor Steve Parente, and featuring Thompson Aderinkomi,’11 MBA and Lori Lyons-Williams, ’07 MBA, gave attendees insight into current industry trends. Others, like Professor Theresa Glomb’s presentation on “work hacks,” provided actionably, evidence-based advice attendees could implement to improve productivity and enjoyment of their work.

Another highlight of the weekend was the keynote presentation and discussion between Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Dean Sri Zaheer, who is also chair of the Board of Governors for the Minneapolis Fed. Among the wide-ranging discussion and audience questions, the two discussed the Federal Reserve’s recent policy decisions to combat inflation and the criticism that it has faced that these actions aren’t enough.

The opportunity to come together, to see friends, former faculty members, and staff who were critical to their Carlson School MBA experience made the weekend so fun. Between the class parties, all-reunion receptions, and networking breaks, the weekend was packed with reconnecting and reminiscing for alumni from all classes in attendance.

This inaugural in-person Reunion Weekend occurred after the first planned Reunion in 2020 was postponed, and all Reunion programming was conducted virtually for the past two years. Next year’s MBA Reunion Weekend will take place May 5-6, 2023, honoring the classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2022.