In the wake of war in Iraq and strain between the U.S. and its European allies, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is launching a conference with the aim of bringing Europeans and Americans closer together through academic, scientific and commercial connections.
From June 12-15, the university is convening Europe 2003, an international alumni conference in Oslo, Norway. There, UW faculty and staff will meet with overseas graduates to discuss how universities can improve the state of both business and diplomacy.
"At an acrimonious time like this, it's absolutely vital to keep conversations open among officials on both sides of the Atlantic," says Paula Bonner, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Association, one of the conference's sponsors. "Among UW-Madison's alumni and faculty are leaders in the governmental, corporate and scientific spheres. With its global academic ties, the UW is in a unique position to bring together people with many different perspectives."
Europe 2003 sessions will cover a wide range of topics, with expert presenters from both within and outside of academia. Highlights include:
* Biotechnology and Technology Transfer. UW Anatomy Professor Jamie Thomson, whom TIME Magazine dubbed "the man who brought you stem cells," along with UW Anatomy Professor Clive Svendsen and Professor Steinar Funderud of the Norwegian Radium Hospital, will form a panel for a session titled Hope or Hype: The Promise of Stem Cell Research. Thomson led the UW efforts that resulted in the first cultivation of human embryonic stem cells in the laboratory in 1998. He will discuss WiCell, the UW entity established for the study of stem cells. Svendsen, whose recent work has investigated promising therapies for the treatment of Parkinson's patients, will discuss neural stem cell advances. Funderud will address the European climate on stem cell research. The remainder of the daylong biotechnology session will be devoted to exploring ways in which universities can bring the fruits of their scientific research into the marketplace. UW believe that a marriage of science and business can lead to continuing advances in research, and one purpose of Europe 2003 is to encourage academic and commercial exchanges among American and European institutions.
* Transatlantic Relations. A daylong session on transatlantic relations will include a panel discussion with Knut Vollebæk, the former Norwegian foreign minister and current ambassador to the U.S.; John Doyle Ong, the U.S. ambassador to Norway; and Alfred Defago, former Swiss ambassador to the U.S. and a UW professor. Their presentation will cover international security, terrorism, multilateralism and the role of NATO.
* Corporate Governance. Presenters will discuss issues of international corporate governance, among other topics. They will cover the differences between European and American corporate practices, and explore the delicate balance between the duties that corporate boards owe to shareholders and the close relationship they must maintain with top management. A panel of European and American experts will be headed by Paul Collins, former vice chair of Citigroup and the honorary chair of Europe 2003. The panel also includes Richard Lambert, former editor of Britain's Financial Times, and Richard Kilgust, senior partner with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The three executives will deliver a broad discussion of current trends in governance moderated by R.D. Nair, the executive director of the UW's Center for International Business Education Research.
"The event is both global in scope and unique to the University of Wisconsin," says Collins, citing the university's 12,000 overseas alumni and the 3,400 international students currently enrolled. "Our goal is to break down borders, not only through governmental connections, but also through science and business. That's why we're bringing together university officials and alumni from both sides of the Atlantic - so they can meet with business leaders and talk about topics that are vital within the international community."
Sponsors of Europe 2003 include the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the UW-Madison Office of the Chancellor, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the University Research Park, the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), UW-Madison's Office of International Studies and Programs, the University of Wisconsin Alumni Club of Norway, Chamberlain Research Consultants and Protiviti.
For a full list of Europe 2003 presenters, events and sponsors, visit the conference Web site at http://www.uwalumni.com/europe2003. For contact information regarding any presenters or for information on attending, please call WAA at (608) 262-2551.
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