Wharton Global Forum Shanghai and International Women’s Day

March 7-8, 2019

Amy Gutmann, Penn President, opened the 53^rd Wharton Global Forum in Shanghai, with remarks on higher education as ‘hubs of common ground’ and its potential to transform lives, communities, and the world. Speaking on March 8, International Women’s Day, Gutmann said it is a day when people reflect on the progress women have made in areas like civic life and business—but that real gaps persist, especially in access to education.

“Few if any investments in the world have greater power than higher education to drive peace, prosperity, and technological, medical, and social advances,” Gutmann said. High-quality higher education has the potential to transform lives of individuals, and also “the fortunes of their families, the prospects of their communities, and the fate of our world.”

And as another reminder of Penn's global presence, President Gutmann had the chance to visit with the 2019 Senior members of the Penn Football team, in town for the Ambassadors Bowl 2019, where Penn played the Shanghai International Elite Team at Lokomotiv Stadium.