(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Walter Zifkin, CEO Emeritus of the William Morris Agency, has been named as the first Industry Fellow of the Entertainment and Media Management Institute at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Zifkin, a UCLA alumnus, has been very involved with entertainment efforts at UCLA Anderson for much of the past year, and will share his expertise with students in UCLA Anderson's full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs.
To date, Zifkin, who will serve as an Industry Fellow for the Fall 2004 and Winter 2005 academic quarters, has participated in several classes and seminars at UCLA Anderson. He has launched an advanced student Leadership Seminar series with a select group of 15 MBA and FEMBA students, discussing the real challenges of being CEO in a creative, service-driven business. He also will be appearing as a Distinguished Speaker in the school's Executive MBA Program in January.
Last year, Zifkin hosted a group of MBA students at his home as part of the school's successful "Dinner for 8" program, which brings eight UCLA Anderson MBA students together with a business executive to discuss business and management issues. He also has been a popular guest lecturer for Negotiations Behavior courses.
"We launched the Industry Fellows program as a way to recognize top-level executives who take time and energy to give back and share with our student community," said Gigi Johnson, executive director of the Entertainment and Media Management Institute at UCLA Anderson.
The Industry Fellows program provides an opportunity for senior executives in the entertainment industry to share their expertise in leadership and management inside and outside the entertainment business. UCLA Anderson MBA students gain insight from executives by learning about their experiences in a number of areas, including:
— Real-world challenges as leaders of complex, changing businesses
— Negotiation of their own industry and career paths
— Perspectives on the accelerating complexities of the media and
entertainment industries
— Abilities to adapt to transforming entertainment and media business
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"We're pleased to have someone of Walter Zifkin's prominence share his knowledge with our MBA students," said Bruce G. Willison, dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management. "The Industry Fellows program helps students connect the theories they learn in the classroom to practical experiences in the corporate world and beyond.” — Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
