Purdue convocation highlights role, importance of global universities

Global University Convocation panel
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The convocation, part of the Discovery Lecture Series, was funded in part by the Lilly Endowment Inc. and was moderated by Purdue alumnus Brian Lamb, C-SPAN's president and chief executive officer. More than 300 people attended the event at Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse.

"Global university is a term being used on college campuses today as we focus the missions of higher education on the 21st century world," Purdue President France A. Córdova said in opening the event. "We must serve as a hub for global innovation and global collaboration. We have the opportunity as never before to link business enterprises to a worldwide network of strategic partners and to ensure our students have global credentials."

The event began with a student procession of more than 120 flags representing Purdue's international reach. Eight higher education leaders from around the world then took part in a two-hour discussion of the characteristics of global universities.

Robert Berdahl discusses global economics
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During the convocation, panelists outlined how they defined a global university and its characteristics and shared examples of how they are collaborating with other universities from around the world to broaden their academic and research programs.

They also discussed how U.S. universities can improve efforts to reach beyond their geographic borders, as well as the role of academic, government, industry and nonprofit organizations in engaging global partnerships.

With expertise in the fields of genetics, agriculture, engineering, science and technology, the panelists were:

* Jorge Allende, vice president for research and development, University of Chile.

* Robert Berdahl, president of the Association of American Universities.

* Gebisa Ejeta, Distinguished Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics and International Agriculture at Purdue.

* Nina V. Fedoroff, science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State.

* Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering at Purdue and the Ransburg Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

* Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston and chancellor of the University of Houston system. Khator received her master's and doctoral degrees in political science from Purdue and is a scholar in global environmental policy.

* Maurilio Alves Moreira, dean of research and graduate studies, Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil.

* Sigmar Wittig, rector emeritus, University of Karlsruhe; chair emeritus, European Space Agency and professor of turbomachinery, University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

Before arriving at Purdue, Córdova had served as chancellor of University of California, Riverside, since 2002. She previously was vice chancellor for research and a physics professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Córdova also was the first woman and youngest person to hold the title as NASA chief scientist, working on projects such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Writer: Phillip Fiorini, (765) 496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
Panel members of the Global University Convocation at Purdue are surrounded by more than 120 flags representing the home countries of Purdue's international students. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2008/cordova-globalconvo2.jpg