Simmons attends Swiss economic forum

For the first time in six years, President Ruth Simmons is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Following its motto, "entrepreneurship in the global public interest," the forum, which began yesterday and will end on Jan. 27, serves as an opportunity for heads of state, presidents of non-government organizations, cabinet ministers and religious, media and business leaders to meet and discuss a theme - this year, "The Power of Collaborative Innovation."

Created in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a former professor of business policy at the University of Geneva, the World Economic Forum now includes more than 2,500 participants from 88 countries. Simmons is attending this year's forum because the timing works with her schedule and the theme relates to the University's recent internationalization efforts, said Assistant to the President Marisa Quinn.

"The internationalization effort at Brown is about advancing the program and offering it at Brown as well as advancing Brown's international reputation," Quinn said. "Part of advancing that reputation is meeting with global leaders who could bring their experiences back to Brown."

Simmons also plans to meet with alums in the region, Quinn added.

Ross Levine, professor of economics and a member of the provost's internationalization committee, said Simmons' attendance will make her an even better leader for the University and its internationalization program. "The forum's going to discuss a wide range of themes that are international by their very nature - the climate, the development in Africa, the global economy, geo-politics and issues of national security," he said. "All of those are themes that Brown students should be aware of through their education and that Brown faculty is engaged with."

The forum's program is based on five conceptual pillars: competing while collaborating, addressing economic insecurity, aligning interests across divides, exploring nature's new frontiers and understanding future shifts. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened this year's annual meeting with a speech discussing America's approach to diplomacy and the state of the American economy.

Simmons will participate in the Global University Leaders Forum, a day-long program focusing specifically on higher education issues, Quinn said. Started in 2006, the university leaders' forum has two main objectives, said Michele Petochi, the program's associate director. "One objective is to guarantee the opportunity to a group of heads of leading universities to address issues of relevance in the context of the global agenda," he said. "The second objective is more like exploring a concrete and regular involvement in helping to shape the agenda."

The three main topics that will be covered during the Global University Leaders Forum are universities sharing information online, sustainable campuses and capacity building in universities and the developing world, Petochi said.

Other attendees of this year's program include Yale President Richard Levin, University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and Harvard President Drew Faust, Quinn said. University representatives from India, Japan, South Africa and China will also attend, Petochi said.

Simmons will also serve as a participant and discussion leader for the panel, "Defining Human Greatness: Why Culture Matters." The panel, moderated by Foreign Policy magazine Editor-in-Chief Moises Naim, will discuss how ambition and the definition of success vary across different cultures. The other five panelists include President of Keio University Yuichiro Anzai and Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, the former Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

While in Davos, Simmons would like to attend the Global Agenda Council, Quinn said. The council will brainstorm methods to continue the progress made at the forum across the globe. "It is something that we are thinking about in terms of somehow structuring our relationship with leadership that is more inclusive, more innovative," Petochi said. "That might include online activities during the year."

Simmons first attended the World Economic Forum in February 2002, when the theme was "Leadership in Fragile Times: A Vision for a Shared Future."

"There aren't many opportunities such as this where there are 2,500 world leaders convening together to talk of world issues," Quinn said. "When they do come around, and it is important for Brown, we feel that she should go."

Simmons has attended other similar events, including the Clinton Global Initiative, where world leaders discussed issues such as sustainability initiatives, Quinn said.

Levine emphasized Simmons' ability to provide a unique perspective at the forum. "She has a lot to offer the other leaders at the forum because not everyone learns from students - their aspirations, their concerns," he said. "Going to these environments and sharing, people will benefit from Ruth's presence and she will benefit from their perspectives."