Penn in China and Silfen Forum 2015

September 10-11, 2015

On Sept. 10, University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann welcomed more than 500 Penn faculty, students, alumni and guests to the 2015 Silfen Forum in Beijing as part of a weeklong series of activities hosted by Penn in China.

Gutmann led Silfen Forum panelists General Colin Powell (Ret.), former U.S. Secretary of State; Li Zhaoxing, former Chinese foreign minister; Zhang Xin, CEO and co-founder of SOHO China Ltd.; and Howard Marks (W'67), co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management LLC and a Wharton alum, in a discussion of geopolitics and global trade, innovation and engagement between China and the U.S. A reception with a toast from Max Sieben Baucus. U.S. ambassador to China, followed.

In China, Gutmann announced the China Research and Engagement Fund, which commits $10 million over five years for faculty projects in China or with Chinese partners. Additional activities for the week included an open house and dedication of a Ben on the Bench sculpture at the Penn Wharton China Center, a meeting with China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and welcoming Peking University President Lin Jianhua to the PWCC.

Participating in these events were deans of 10 of Penn’s 12 schools, trustees, faculty, alumni, students, and guests from China and throughout Asia.