Past Events
Panel Discussion: What is the Shareholder Proposal Rule? & Why Might It Matter to Delaware?
December 11, 2025 | 12pm – 2pm
Exploring the Shareholder Proposal Rule & Delaware’s Corporate Franchise
At the Weinberg Center’s 25th Anniversary Gala, SEC Chair Paul Atkins invited Delaware to consider whether its state corporation law authorizes advisory shareholder proposals on non-governance topics—or whether they might properly be excluded under the SEC’s shareholder proposal rule. Chair Atkins warned that the rule has been stretched beyond its valid bounds by activists using it for matters other than corporate governance. Expressing concern that such uses deter companies from going or staying public, the SEC is revisiting its shareholder proposal rule.
The shareholder proposal rule, a longstanding feature of the federal proxy system, has rarely intersected with state corporation law, leaving many Delaware practitioners unfamiliar with its operation or implications. Yet this new focus on the intersection between federal rule and state law implicates Delaware’s corporate franchise, an important topic that the State of Delaware has recently asked the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) to study. It is therefore timely to consider both the shareholder proposal rule and its significance in the context of Delaware’s corporate franchise.
To promote informed discussion over coming months, the Weinberg Center, in partnership with IPA, will convene a program of two panels: one to explain the shareholder proposal rule itself and another to put its significance in the context of Delaware’s corporate franchise.
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Past Events
Webinar | Board Practices in 2025: Evolving Oversight and Composition
December 15, 2025 | 1pm – 2pm
The Weinberg Center’s thought leadership partner, The Conference Board, hosts a discussion with Lawrence Cunningham, Rich Fields, and Ariane Marchis-Mouren moderated by Brian Campbell.
Corporate boards are navigating heightened scrutiny, rapid technological disruption, and shifting expectations from investors, regulators, and society. Amid these pressures, board composition and governance practices have steadied but continue to evolve in measured ways as oversight structures adapt to digital, cybersecurity, and workforce risks.
The discussion of The Conference Board’s latest benchmarking data and what it reveals about how corporate governance is evolving, and where boards are headed next.
Discussion topics included:
- How board structures and committees are adapting to new oversight demands
- Trends in board composition, including the slowdown in board turnover
- Expanding skill sets in technology, human capital, and sustainability
- Forward-looking trends and expectations for 2026
Audience:
Current and prospective board members; CEOs; general counsel, chief legal officers, corporate secretaries, and other C-Suite executives; corporate attorneys and senior governance executives
External Articles, Media Coverage, Past Events
Rady School Discussion Examines Warren Buffett’s Legacy and What’s Next for Berkshire Hathaway
Article by: Christine Clark | Feature image by: Joel Ackerman/Rady School of Management
Speaking at the Rady School of Management, Buffett scholar Larry Cunningham examined how trust, leadership, and disciplined investing will shape Berkshire Hathaway’s next chapter
What happens when Warren Buffett steps away from Berkshire Hathaway? Can the company’s famously decentralized culture endure without its legendary founder? And what lessons from Buffett’s approach to business and trust will guide the next generation of leaders?
Those were among the questions explored at UC San Diego Rady School of Management Stanley Foster Symposium, where Larry Cunningham, one of the nation’s leading experts on corporate governance and the history of Berkshire Hathaway, discussed the future of the multinational conglomerate holding company before a packed audience of students, faculty, alumni and community members.
The event, co-sponsored by the Rady School’s Brandes Center, was moderated by Bosco Luján, a FlexEvening MBA ’12 graduate and executive director at Morgan Stanley. He also serves as a member of the Rady Dean’s Advisory Council, is a UC San Diego Foundation trustee and chair of the Foundation’s Investment/Finance Committee. Luján guided Cunningham through a wide-ranging conversation on Buffett’s career, Berkshire’s culture and the company’s future leadership.
Cunningham on the right. The event was moderated by Bosco Luján (left). Luján is a FlexEvening MBA ’12 graduate and executive director at Morgan Stanley. He also serves as a member of the Rady Dean’s Advisory Council, is a UC San Diego Foundation trustee and chair of the Foundation’s Investment/Finance Committee.
Meeting Warren Buffett: A Defining Moment
Cunningham recounted his first encounter with Buffett—an experience that set the course of his career. Shortly after becoming director of the Heyman Center on Corporate Governance in New York, Cunningham decided to host a symposium on Buffett’s famous shareholder letters. Weeks of silence had him doubting whether the idea would take off—until one evening he returned home to find a message on his answering machine:
“Oh, hi, Larry. This is Warren Buffett. Bob Denham told me about your idea. I think it’s terrific. Why don’t you give me a call?”
That call led to a three-day conference with Buffett, Charlie Munger, and their closest associates. The lively debates became the foundation for Cunningham’s book, “The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America,” now translated into 14 languages.
“What you see is what you get with Warren,” Cunningham told the UC San Diego audience. “He’s a down-to-earth, Midwestern guy.”
How Trust is in the Berkshire Hathaway DNA
When asked why Berkshire Hathaway’s model has proven so difficult to replicate, Cunningham distilled the answer into one word: trust.
Munger once described the company as “a seamless web of deserved trust,” and Cunningham explained how that philosophy permeates every level of the organization—from the boardroom to the loading dock. Buffett’s model has been to hire capable managers, grant them wide autonomy, and hold them accountable for performance.
“There’s far less red tape at Berkshire than at many other companies,” Cunningham said. “That culture of autonomy and accountability is the glue that holds it all together.”
From left to right: Bosco Luján; Lisa Ordóñez, Dean of the Rady School of Management; Larry Cunningham and Robert Schmidt, executive director of The Brandes Center at UC San Diego Rady School of Management.
Preparing for Life After Buffett
Looking ahead, Cunningham emphasized that Berkshire’s succession plan will divide Buffett’s many roles among trusted leaders. Greg Abel, who has led the company’s energy business for 25 years, will become CEO. Buffett’s son, Howard, is expected to serve as board chair, while investment duties will remain with Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, who have managed large portions of the portfolio for more than a decade.
The most difficult transition, Cunningham said, will be Buffett’s role as controlling shareholder. His estate plan calls for gradually selling his Class A shares—converted into Class B shares—over 12 years, with proceeds going to charity. While no single shareholder will hold Buffett’s influence, Cunningham noted that a core group of long-term investors will help preserve Berkshire’s culture.
“Greg will get some space,” Cunningham observed. “But he and the team must continue to deliver value. And my bottom line? My money is on Greg.”
Read Full Article Here
Past Events
September 17, 2025 — The Brandes Center at the University of California San Diego will host Lawrence Cunningham for a discussion about the intersection of value investing and corporate governance.
The Rady School of Management, in collaboration with the Brandes Center, is honored to welcome Lawrence A. Cunningham — renowned professor, author, and corporate governance expert — as the distinguished speaker for this year’s Stanley Foster Symposium.
As one of the world’s foremost authorities on Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway, Cunningham brings unparalleled insight into the business model, culture, and long-term value creation strategies that have shaped one of the most successful companies in American history.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear directly from a scholar and practitioner who bridges theory and real-world governance, offering lessons on resilience, leadership, and sustainable value in today’s capital markets.
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Time: 9:00am–10:30am
Location: Rady School of Management, Beyster Auditorium
Read Follow-up Article Here
Past Events
Professor Cunningham to Speak on Delaware Franchise at Directors’ Institute
November 17, 2025—Delaware’s corporate franchise is on the agenda at PLI’s 23rd Annual Directors’ Institute on Corporate Governance in New York. Cunningham’s fellow panelists include Srinivas M. Raju of Richards, Layton & Finger; this year’s program is co-chaired by Catherine G. Dearlove of Richards, Layton & Finger.
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