From left: David Kabiller '87, Salon Award of Excellence winners Jason Stulberg '10 and Harrison Shih '10, and Interim Dean Sunil Chopra

A New York salon

David Kabiller '87 believes in the potential of Northwestern University.

"This place has so many possibilities," says Kabiller, the co-founder of AQR Capital Management in Greenwich, Conn. "This institution has global interest and global ambitions. We want to stretch ourselves."

Kabiller is doing his part to build Northwestern's brand by connecting alumni with current students and faculty. For the past four years, he has hosted an annual salon in New York City. Much like the European salons that brought together influential thinkers during the 18th and 19th centuries, Kabiller's salons assemble Northwestern alumni who are leaders in the finance community to listen to a renowned speaker and discuss the issues of the day.

The event is designed to enhance the powerful Northwestern network and forge connections between current students and alumni. "If students see the power of this network, they will be inspired to give back to the next generation of students," Kabiller says.

The speaker at this year's salon — which took place Jan. 8 — was political satirist and comedian Stephen Colbert, a 1987 Northwestern University graduate who regaled the audience with tales about his experiences at NU and in the Chicago theatre community. Previous speakers have included the late political journalist Tim Russert, New York Times columnists Maureen Dowd and Michael Gordon, and artist Jeff Koons.

The event is also an opportunity for Kabiller to recognize outstanding Northwestern students with the "Salon Award of Excellence," presented this year to Kellogg MBA student Jason Stulberg '10 and Kellogg undergraduate certificate program student Harrison Shih '10. The two were selected by Kellogg finance faculty based on their commitment to finance, academic excellence and integrity and their potential to be leaders in the Northwestern alumni community. They join five previous award winners, a "network within a network" that Kabiller intends to foster as the list of honorees grows.

Kabiller's commitment to Northwestern goes beyond the annual salon. The Kellogg alum returns to campus several times a year to speak to Northwestern students and serves on the university's board of trustees. "David is very committed to Kellogg and the university," observes Robert Korajczyk, the Harry G. Guthmann Professor of Finance. "He has been very involved and has a passion for the school. He wants to promote it as well as he possibly can."