Rodin travels to South Korea, Hong Kong

University President Judith Rodin flew to Asia last Friday for a week of meetings with government ministers, university presidents, potential donors and Penn alumni in South Korea and Hong Kong. Last Wednesday, Rodin traveled to California to try to convince potential donors to go ahead with the projects they are interested in, she said last week. Friday afternoon, she flew to Seoul, South Korea, and last night to Hong Kong. She will return to Philadelphia Sunday night. Other top University officials have visited Asia on development trips recently, including deans of the four undergraduate schools. Ed Resovsky, director of principal gifts, who helped plan the trip and is traveling with Rodin, said last month that the visit is partly a result of the Agenda for Excellence, which called for more programming with international alumni. "Good development,whether in Seattle or Singapore, depends on building good relationships of confidence and trust in Penn," Resovsky said. This is Rodin's first trip to Asia as University president. Earlier this year, she traveled to England. While in South Korea, she met with the country's prime minister, minister of science and technology and minister of education. In Hong Kong, she will meet with the secretary for trade and industry, the government's chief minister, the Technology Development Council and the U.S. consul general. Before the trip, Rodin said she would discuss U.S. education policy in the field of science and technology and "how it relates to the increasingly global environment which they and we find ourselves." She said she would also stress the importance of government support for research universities and their vital role in the future. In addition to meetings with foreign leaders, she will talk with the foreign press several times. Last week, she said she planned to talk about Penn, the role of American research institutions and the challenges U.S. universities currently face. Following a speech at Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology and a meeting with its president, Rodin plans to hold a press conference. She was to be interviewed by a television station in South Korea, two newspapers and three magazines. In South Korea, Rodin also met with the chancellors of Kyung Hee University and Yonsei University and the president of the Korea Academy of Science and Technology. While Rodin is meeting with alumni and parents of students, not all of the potential donors she is speaking with are affiliated with the University. Rodin said some individuals may be interested in donating to Penn because of their personal or professional interests. "We try to match Penn's abilities and aspirations with the people we meet with," she explained. "It's turning potential donors into believers that Penn is really positioned to do best in whatever areas they are particularly interested in."