Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Courtesy of weforum.org Global leaders and U2's Bono at the 2005 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. President Ruth Simmons is attending this year.

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.

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