The Lauder Institute

It’s Campus Quest 2026 and AI has entered the chat. Our new Lauder students made their mark on iconic sites around the University of Pennsylvania campus: Ben Franklin has forsaken his perch, the button is brutalized, and there is unprovoked dangling at the bookstore. Will Penn ever be the same again?

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From Brussels to Barcelona and Salt Lake City to Seattle, the Lauder Institute is on the road this summer. 🌍✈️

Join us at an upcoming admissions event to learn more about Lauder’s unique joint degree program at the University of Pennsylvania, where global business, geopolitics, international studies, and leadership come together in an immersive and life-changing learning experience.

Meet alumni, connect with admissions representatives, and discover how Lauder can help you build a truly global career.

Explore the full lineup of events and register today: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/admissions-events/

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! View our graduation photos on Instagram:

Congratulations to the Lauder Institute Class of 2026, newly minted with two graduate degrees! We celebrated their achievements at the @PennMuseum with special guest speakers, the Honorable Ronald S. Lauder and Rene Kern, Vice Chairman of the Lauder Institute’s Board of Governors. Hats off to our newest alumni - your next adventure starts now! 🥂🌎 @whartonschool @penncareylaw @pennsas @uofpenn #classof2026 #graduationday #jointdegree

Meet four standout students from the The Lauder Institute MA + The Wharton School MBA Class of 2026. 🎓

Read about their joint-degree experience and find out what they’re doing next: bit.ly/laudergrad2026

With just one month until their graduation, we proudly present the Lauder Class of 2026! 🎓

The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Penn Arts & Sciences

From Clinic to Classroom: How Two Physicians Are Rethinking Healthcare Through Business What drives a practicing physician to step away from medicine and pursue an MBA/MA joint degree in business and international studies? We talk to two Lauder students who have made the pivot: Samuel Nathan, a doctor from Ghana, and Dan Menéndez, a U.K.-t...

What drives a physician to step away from an established medical career and pursue an MBA? 💡

We sat down with Samuel Nathan and Dan Menéndez, doctors in the Wharton MBA/Lauder MA in International Studies joint-degree program, who pivoted from medicine into business to rethink how healthcare works.

They reflect on the turning points behind their decision, what it’s like to bring a clinical perspective into a room full of MBAs, and how Lauder’s focus on culture and policy is shaping how they address challenges in healthcare systems around the world. 🌍

👉 Read the full story: bit.ly/lauderMDs

Earlier this month, the Lauder Institute led students to five destinations around the world through its Lauder Intercultural Ventures program (LIVs), examining how business, policy, and geopolitics intersect in the real world.

🔷 In Bulgaria, students explored the country’s position in both the Balkans and the Eurozone, unpacking what EU integration really looks like in practice.

🔷 In South Korea, they examined national security dynamics, including nuclear deterrence and alliance politics.

🔷 In India, the focus was on media ecosystems, the rapid growth of digital markets, and their impact on public culture.

🔷 In the Dominican Republic, students analyzed how tourism, export industries, and diaspora networks drive economic development.

🔷 Finally, the Botswana LIV centered around how healthcare systems and economic sustainability intersect.

Learn more about these unique academic experiences at https://bit.ly/spring26_liv.

We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Jacobson Global Venture Awards—Lauder’s flagship pitch competition for student entrepreneurs. This year’s winning ventures each receive $15,000 and mentorship from alumni entrepreneurs to scale their startups. Learn more: bit.ly/jacobson26

2026 Winning Ventures:

🏆 Élan (Sonia Alb)
• Premium heels engineered for all-day comfort—redefining footwear through a slow-fashion philosophy and intentional design.

🏆 Kala (Maitreyi Menon, Rowa El-Tohami)
• A music royalty management platform for African artists, enabling transparent tracking across broadcasting platforms and automated, auditable payouts.

🏆 EruBase (Long Pham, Long Phung)
• A multilingual SaaS platform that helps global universities recruit students from emerging markets by connecting potential applicants with university ambassadors.

🏆 Bellwether (Chad Williams, Ari Brown)
• Predictive maintenance for electrical grids using acoustic analytics + machine learning to detect transformer faults early and prevent outages.

Congratulations to our winners! With special thanks to Marina Kunis Jacobson (G93, WG93), Andrew Jacobson (WG93), Sudev Sheth, and our distinguished alumni judges.

In December, Lauder Culture Quest Kenya took students on an Amazing Race–style adventure through Nairobi, the Maasai Mara, and Kenya's southern coast.

The journey marked the 15th anniversary of Culture Quest. The student-led tradition, founded in 2011 by Davis Smith (G11, WG11) and Greg Mitchell (G11, WG11), remains a defining Lauder experience built on exploration, collaboration, and connection. 🌍

Read more at: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/in-the-news/culturequest2025/