Former University Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok to release a book on May 6 about his experiences on Wall Street.
Credit: Ethan YoungFormer University Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok will release a book on May 6, about his experiences on Wall Street.
The 512-page book — titled “Surviving Wall Street: A Tale of Triumph, Tragedy, and Timing” — marks Bok’s first venture as an author. According to the book’s Amazon description, Bok recounts the “battle for control” that took place at Penn in fall 2023 which involved “activist shareholder and corporate takeover tactics.”
“The book culminates with the story of my board chair role at the University of Pennsylvania, where a highly unusual takeover battle reminiscent of those in the corporate realm marked the start of a period of nationwide campus unrest, unlike anything since the Vietnam War era,” Bok wrote in an email announcing his book.
Currently available for pre-order on Amazon the book describes Bok’s “adventure” through “the dramatic transformation of the investment banking business in recent decades,” including stories “from inside the boardroom.”
The book will focus on Bok’s time as chairman and CEO of independent investment bank Greenhill & Co., Inc., according to the description, and documents the “coming of age” of a “naive young man who came to Wall Street — as thousands like him do each year — and managed to grab a front-row seat for a period of epic change.”
The online description references several financial challenges that Bok encountered leading Greenhill, including the dot-com crisis — which ballooned the valuations of internet companies in the United States — and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to working at Greenhill, Bok practiced mergers and acquisitions at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz from 1984 to 1986 and later became a managing director in the mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring department at Morgan Stanley from 1986 to 1997.
In 1981, Bok received a bachelor’s of science degree in economics from the Wharton School and a bachelor's of arts degree in political science from the College of Arts & Sciences. During his undergraduate career, Bok worked as a news reporter for The Daily Pennsylvanian from 1978 to 1980 and a student liaison to the Board of Trustees. He then graduated from Penn Carey Law School in 1984.
Bok began serving as chair of the Board on July 1, 2021. Minutes after former Penn President Liz Magill resigned in December 2023, Bok announced his own resignation during a Board meeting. Their departures came after months of criticism towards senior Penn administrators over the University’s response to allegations of antisemitism on campus.
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