Q&A: Dean Stewart Adler, W'79, L'83

Co-Chair, Campaign Major Gift Committee

Real-estate financier Dean Adler knows the value of making connections, and his connections to Penn run deep and strong. Wharton undergraduate. Law graduate. Married an alumna. Penn parent. Dean's newest affiliation is Campaign Major Gift Committee co-chair, and he sat down with us recently to talk about what those connections mean to him and why now is the time to help Penn make history.

What attracted you to Penn as a student?
The chance to get a premier business education that focused on preparing me for the real world.

Did Penn live up to your expectations?
It exceeded them. I came for the hands-on education, but what I learned went well beyond that. I met people from around the world and became part of a larger social fabric. I came to learn that business is not just about knowledge, but about making a community stronger as well.

Is your commitment to strengthening community part of what drives your involvement with Penn today?
Yes. One of the most rewarding things has been the chance to share my interests with students, not surprisingly through the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center. I get to talk to students about the qualitative side of business—the importance of trust, integrity, building good relationships, and so on—and I am fortunate to learn from them as well.

What excites you most about giving to Penn?
Penn allows you to hit a lot of different areas with your philanthropy. If you're interested in improving education, Penn offers that. If you're interested in medical breakthroughs, architecture, law, business, you name it—Penn has a way for you to make an impact. At the end of the day, though, I think it's about having confidence that your investment is really effecting change, and giving to Penn has a great multiplier effect. A gift here doesn't just help on campus. It helps everywhere the University and its people are making a difference.

Has being a Penn parent changed your perspective on Penn?
Absolutely. I came to Penn to study business; my daughter Anna (C'11) is interested in visual art. Seeing Penn through her eyes has given buzz words like "interdisciplinary" a whole new meaning. At Penn, her interest in art might lead her to graphic design, marketing, branding, and lots of other things. Penn is a place that breaks down the silos that separate different fields, and that really makes it unique.

As a real-estate investor, the Penn Connects plan must be of great interest to you. What stands out about it?
It's one of the most critical things Penn is doing right now. Penn recognizes that it has a commitment to the community in which it resides and takes that responsibility seriously. People crossing boundaries to live and work together, which is part of what Penn Connects is trying to do, can only make Penn and the city more productive.

Penn says it’s creating a new kind of university. What does that mean to you?
It means Penn seeks to be a model for other institutions. Penn's goals are lofty but community-focused, and in that respect, the way the University interacts with the world sets an example for students as well. It is not just about the campus community; it's about recognizing one's broader responsibility to the world.

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