Breaking News: Cutler to Head Wharton Admissions, Career Placement
Business school admissions and career placement departments have traditionally remained quite distinct, with the conventional view that each role requires different skill sets to manage. But the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School is about to buck those assumptions.
For the first time in the 129-year history of the school, one person will run both admissions and career placement, the school revealed Monday. In his new role as Deputy Vice Dean of MBA Admissions, Financial Aid, and Career Management, J.J. Cutler (1997 Wharton MBA alumnus) will oversee the full life-cycle of Wharton MBA students, which includes the transition from hopeful applicant to MBA student to actively engaged alumnus.
Wharton representatives point out that no other MBA program is taking this approach.
Cutler brings his expertise in both the private sector and in academia to the brand-new position. His unique career path includes earning a B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School; several years at Johnson & Johnson, where he won the prestigious “Standards of Leadership” award for his work building an MBA recruiting strategy for Wharton; and most recently, as a fast-rising administrator on the Wharton campus.
As Wharton explains, this novel approach is founded in the belief that students will see continuity between the application and job placement processes ”“ two of the most stressful times of the MBA experience ”“ and benefit from working with one person who has seen their development as a student, a professional and a person.
