 “Once the dust settles, we expect to have 20 alumni clubs in Asia, and interest in still more.” |
The University pulls out all the stops for USC’s first International Alumni Conference, held in Hong Kong last fall.
In acknowledgement of this Pacific Rim migration, last fall the university rolled out its first ever “USC International Alumni Conference” – a three-day gathering in Hong Kong beginning November 30.Organized by the Office of the Provost, USC’s International Offices in Asia and the USC Alumni Association, the conference showcased the university’s global reach while promoting networking among the 250 attendees with business, commercial and educational interests in Asia.“Internationalization has been an important strategic initiative at USC since 1994,” says USC executive vice provost Michael Diamond, who was among the lineup of VIP speakers.“We actively recruited alumni speakers who are senior executives and respected industry leaders around the Pacific Rim,” notes USC trustee Robert S. Rollo ’69, MBA ’70, president of the USC Alumni Association. “The conference and its outstanding presentations demonstrated the strength of the Trojan Family throughout Asia.”USC trustee Ronnie C. Chan MBA ’76, chairman of the Hong Kong-based Hang Lung Group, gave the keynote speech on “China: The Other Superpower?”Other speakers included Young-Hoon Kang MA ’66, PhD ’73, former prime minister of the Republic of Korea, and USC trustee Toshiaki Ogasawara, publisher of the Japan Times. Tung Chee-Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, offered welcome remarks.Many top USC academics and administrators were on hand to lead seminars. Max Nikias, dean of the School of Engineering, presented a sampling of the university’s information technology innovations. Thomas O’Malia, a professor in the USC Marshall School of Business, led a seminar on creating new ventures. Attendees also heard a series of “country briefings” by business leaders from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Lee Harrington JD ’75, president and CEO of the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation, and USC Marshall School IBEAR program director Jack Lewis gave a seminar titled “Creative Advantage: L.A. Region Case Study.”“On the surface, the conference may have appeared business-oriented, but the depth of presentations made by alumni in 13 different economies across Asia really spoke to the degree to which USC alumni in many disciplines are involved in politics, education, government and all the professions around the Pacific Rim,” says Diamond.“This conference was about all disciplines – economics, politics and social change in the post-September 11 climate.”THREE MORE DEANS Matthew Spitzer from the Law School, Karen Symms Gallagher of the USC Rossier School of Education and Marilyn Flynn of the School of Social Work – joined Nikias and top faculty from the USC Marshall School and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at informal networking events aimed at bringing Asian alumni closer to USC.
“Let’s not forget that the conference was a reunion too – a way for members of the Trojan Family to take advantage of our extraordinary network,” notes associate vice president for alumni relations Judith Blumenthal MBA ’84, PhD ’88. “From a Trojan networking perspective, the gathering was a resounding success,” adds Christopher W. Allen ’94, director of alumni organizations. The workshop he co-hosted with Blumenthal, Rollo and USC trustee Reginald Lathan ’76 on strengthening the USC Alumni Association network in Asia produced instant results. “We went into the conference with about 10 alumni clubs overseas, nearly doubled that number overnight, and still expect to develop more alumni clubs in Asia in the very near future,” Allen says. USC director of admissions Laurel Baker Tew ’82, who led a two-hour program on freshmen recruitment, will have to wait a few months to measure her gains.The event’s success has administrators thinking about future conferences in Asia. “USC has one of the world’s largest groups of college or university alumni in Asia, and this inaugural conference provided a tangible connection for our alumni around the Pacific Rim,” says Rollo. “We hope this will be the first of many international events.”President’s Distinguished Lecture
Albright on the Western Front
A month after the September 11 attacks, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright addressed a packed house in Bovard Auditorium – kicking off the 2001 President’s Distinguished Lecture Series with a talk that crisscrossed the globe, just as Albright herself did during her eight-year tenure with the Clinton administration. While expressing support for the war in Afghanistan, Albright, a noted contrarian, took a stance opposite the current zeitgeist on the broader significance of September 11. “I’m not sure the attacks have transformed the world,” she remarked. Albright recalled the Cold War’s zero-sum game, played by the “red, white and blue on one side – and just red on the other.” She cautioned against the temptation to replace the Communist players with terrorists.
Madeleine K. Albright
“Despite the high stakes, [this] doesn’t constitute a new paradigm,” she said. “We must not let the terrorists distract us from the larger goal of a more free, more humane and more broadly prosperous world. We must not accept a global economy that rewards the lowest bidder without regard to standards.” Why bother, Albright asked, to promote democracy in small nations? “Because the world is interconnected. What matters anywhere matters everywhere.”
President Steven B. Sample moderated the Q & A session that followed her prepared speech. Topics raised by the audience ranged from the U.S. relationship with Cuba, to the election of Syria to the U.N.’s National Security Council.
– Inga Kiderra
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Looking Eastward
Until the Middle Ages, Arab merchants were just as prosperous as Europeans. In the Renaissance, they fell badly behind. Why? USC economist Timur Kuran points to inheritance laws rooted in the Koran. Islamic law prescribes how estates are divided between uncles, cousins, siblings, making it impossible to name a single heir. This practice – intended to protect women and the weak – had the effect of keeping Arab enterprises small and blocking new economic forms, like the corporation. “Muslims in the 7th century were not thinking about the consequences for commerce with Europe,” Kuran told the New York Times. “But in the process, they created another problem 1,000 years down the road.”  |
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