By Nathaniel Luce
On the Friday before Mod III exam week, students from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management traveled from Nashville to Omaha, NE, for an intimate meeting with billionaire business magnate, investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet. Cherrie Clark, Professor of the Practice of Management and Program Director for the Vanderbilt Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program, took 18 Owen School students and two Vanderbilt undergraduate students to attend a Q&A and lunch with Buffett. A few Vanderbilt students even got to ride along as Buffett drove them from Berkshire Hathaway to the Field Club of Omaha for lunch.
Trips such as this one are a hallmark of Vanderbilt’s personal-scale approach to a world-class business education. Hear from current students in their own words about why the trip to meet Warren Buffett was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I was unbelievably grateful to attend the trip. Business school is all about learning and applying practical insights that will allow you to be a better leader, colleague, and in so many ways, a better human being. And what I realized after hearing Mr. Buffett speak and answer our questions is that Buffett is the grandfather (literally) of practical insights. From how to approach starting or investing in a business to living a purpose-driven, fulfilling life, the advice Mr. Buffett offered was invaluable and will remain with me for the rest of my life.”
-Alneada Biggers, JD/MBA Class of 2016
“When I was in middle school my dad asked me, “What is 99 times 99?” He quickly replied, “9,801…Warren Buffett said all educated people should know the answer.” Warren Buffett came up in many of my family’s conversations growing up. My parents would use stories of his passion, integrity and work ethic to inspire my siblings and me to develop strong moral compasses and work to our potentials. In addition to being inspired by hearing my childhood hero speak, I had the opportunity to shake Mr. Buffett’s hand and say thank you. I will be on Cloud Nine for a long time.”
-Meghan Mouser, MBA Class of 2017, Healthcare & Operations
“I came to Owen for an intimate environment where I could strengthen skills to be a successful businessperson. This trip was uniquely Owen as students had the rare opportunity to share an intimate experience with Warren Buffett about any aspect of his personal and professional life. At 85 years, Warren continually stressed that marrying the right significant other is the one deal that you can’t get wrong. The right significant other should be someone that is able to support and push you to pursue your passions. As a 4:44 a.m., six times a week athlete, I’m also amazed that Warren eats ice cream for breakfast and burgers for lunch!”
-Francis Huynh, MBA Class of 2017, Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Operations.
“It was amazing to see how one of the most iconic figures of our generation is just a regular person. He has achieved more in his lifetime than most people ever will (combined), yet he is probably more down to earth than people who have achieved only a small fraction of his success. He also had a great sense of humor and was able to make jokes about himself—something that not a lot of people can do in a room full of 175 people. I was surprised at how much I learned from just observing how he carried himself and related to those around him.”
-Sarah Goodyear, MBA Class of 2016
“What stood out to me was how relatable he was. He is 85 years old and is worth 70 or so billion dollars, but after listening to him for a few minutes, it just felt like you were listening to a wise, older man. He said things like, “The only difference from me and you is that I eat a burger from Dairy Queen (a Berkshire company) and you eat at McDonald’s,” or, “Let me keep my plane and give me $100k to live on each year and not much would change for me.” He said he also spends about 10 hours a week playing bridge. He also talked a few times on marriage, which I thought was interesting. He basically said that one of, if not the most, important decision you will make is whom to marry and to make sure to marry someone who is better than you because they will push you to be a better person.”
–Nick Meyer, MBA Class of 2016, Marketing & Strategy
“The experience overall was great. My biggest takeaways were how down-to-earth Mr. Buffett was and how well at portraying answers through self-lived stories he was. I got the most value out of hearing his input on how someone, especially a student, should strive to run their career. It was nice to see someone as wealthy as Warren Buffett still stay true to his values and recognize the importance of family, friends, and trustworthy cohorts. He manages to break all the stereotypical barriers of an elite businessperson and treat everyone as equals even after everything he’s witnessed and everything he’s been through. Although I do not fully agree with his thoughts on diversification, I do believe he is correct on how much research and brainpower should be put towards a business decision prior to making it.”
-Zak Pantaleo, MBA Class of 2017, Business Administration and General Management
For more on the trip to Omaha, see photos from the trip on Facebook and Instagram, and see our Snapchat story from the trip.
Contact Person: Brett Israel Director, Business News & Communications Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
Contact Phone: (615) 322-NEWS
Contact Email: brett.israel@owen.vanderbilt.edu
