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Networking for KnowledgeNovember, 2002 ROGER TJONG FROM THE CLASS OF ’98 CALLED one day last spring to ask if this magazine was interested in an article on “vulture capital.” I said, “What’s that?” He said he didn’t know for sure, but he would like to find out. As a former reporter for The (GSB) Reporter, Roger said he previously had organized informational hunts by looking for people who are experts, asking them carefully selected questions, and then writing about what he had learned for other outsiders. Extending his own contact list with names culled from the Business School’s alumni/ae database, Roger found plenty of expertise. Alums were willing to share their perspectives on vulture capital—also known as distressed debt investing—at a time when that field is hot. The alumni/ae database truly is the central element of the Alumni Association’s Lifelong Learning website precisely because you can use it to tap into such expertise within the network. If you haven’t used it as an informational resource yet, you owe it to yourself to try it out. Keep in mind that, because of security concerns, you need to sign up and select a password first. During his interviews, Roger learned so much that he had a devil of a time figuring out what to leave out of his article. We turned to other alums and asked them to read his draft. They confirmed how diverse you are as a group. Several objected to article terminology that they said was too specific to investment banking and not well understood in their own field of management. “We are a school of general management,” one alum reminded me, “which means we don’t all have the same backgrounds or interests. I want to know something about this field, but I don’t want to get into it myself.” We hope you will find plenty in this issue that piques your curiosity. And if you are interested in changing careers, there is even an article on how the School can help—which also takes advantage of your group expertise. Staying connected pays off. Kathleen O'Toole
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