The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School officially opened its Penn Wharton China Center (PWCC) in Beijing on March 10 to enhance the university’s important connections in China.
Penn’s engagement with China began in 1896 when the first Chinese student enrolled at Penn.
“We are delighted to launch the Penn Wharton China Center,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said in a statement. “We are building on Penn's history of broad, deep engagement with China and creating a Center that provides an impressive infrastructure and significant resources to augment the University of Pennsylvania's many collaborations and partnerships with great Chinese educational institutions. The Center represents another major milestone in the Penn Compact 2020’s vision of bringing Penn to the world and the world to Penn.”
The center will operate through the University’s China-based affiliate, Penn Wharton Consulting (Beijing) Co., LTD.
Located in the Central Business District of Beijing, the PWCC will serve as a resource for learning and research opportunities for Penn’s faculty, students, alumni and others. The center's consulting programs will also support Chinese executives and other business entities.
Penn also announced the creation of the Penn China Research and Engagement Fund, which will support research and collaborative projects that focus on China or are done in conjunction with a China-based partner or institution. Through the fund, Penn will provide $10 million over five years for projects.
The grand opening of the PWCC began with a delegation of more than 40 faculty and senior administrators from Penn, including Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel, Dean of the Wharton School Geoffrey Garrett and seven other Penn deans. The launch event featured various panels, research talks and roundtable discussions.
The celebration kicks off a six-month grand opening, which will culminate with a gala celebration and forum in September 2015 hosted by Gutmann.
You can view a Chinese version of Penn's news release here.