By Carter Howe
howethom@grinnell.edu
Twenty Grinnell students travelled to Omaha on Nov. 18 to meet Warren Buffett, who has been dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha” and has previously served on Grinnell’s Board of Trustees. During the Center for Career, Life and Services (CLS) trip, students talked with Buffett about financial investment and professional success. Grinnell was part of a group of eight academic institutions, including Yale and Columbia’s business schools, that attended. The 20 Grinnell attendees were the only undergraduates present.
Berkshire Hathaway, the Buffett-owned company that hosted the event, required that one-third of attendees be women in order to promote equality in the traditionally male-dominated field of finance. According to Mark Peltz, Dean of the CLS, there was no shortage of applications from women.
During a question and answer session, the Grinnellians had the opportunity to ask Buffett about his longtime friendship with Joe Rosenfield, the Grinnell alumnus known for his generosity and dedication to the College and the namesake of the JRC. Buffett served as a trustee of the College because of his friendship with Rosenfield.
Participant Gargi Magar ’17 said that Buffett was very kind and offered valuable life advice.
“Someone asked ‘What’s the most important thing you need to succeed?’ and he said ‘Unconditional love is the greatest force in the world.’ I don’t think anyone was expecting that answer because that just seems very Dumbledore,” Magar said.
Philip Kiely ’19, who also attended the trip, said he was surprised by Buffett’s humble demeanor.
“I was expecting that he’d walk in and there’d be a big whooshing sound because all the air just rushed out of the room, but no. … He was very professorly. It just sort of seemed like he was a visiting professor from another school that you should be respectful to, but no one to be afraid of,” Kiely said.
Peltz emphasized that the CLS is committed to providing opportunities for students to explore many careers, not just finance.
“This is certainly a transformational experience for the students who are able to participate and what CLS is really interested in doing is identifying other ways that we can provide similar transformational experiences in other areas of the world of work, not just investment,” Peltz said.
Although Peltz is not sure whether Grinnellians will get to visit Buffett again, he says he would certainly organize another trip if possible.
“It’s an opportunity that I hope we have again. … I mean Grinnell, was at a table 15 feet away from Warren Buffett. There are shareholders for Berkshire Hathaway that never get to shake Warren Buffett’s hand. We did.”