Gutmann plugs Penn in India

University President Amy Gutmann spent her winter break in India to help start to fulfilling one of her major goals: making Penn's reputation known worldwide.

Gutmann's trip to Mumbai -- which ran from Dec. 27 until Monday -- was the first made to India by a sitting Penn president and a major first step in putting Penn on the global map, an integral aspect of her plan for the University's future, she said.

Gutmann spent two weeks visiting the hundreds of Penn alumni living and working in India, as well as newly accepted undergraduates.

"Last year, there was more of a focus on domestic engagement," said Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations Bob Alig, who traveled with Penn's president. "This was the first major international trip" for Gutmann, he added.

Gutmann was accompanied by several of her top advisers, including Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations John Zeller and Wharton School Dean Patrick Harker.

The group traveled around India both in tour buses and on foot, and Zeller added that some Penn alumni lent Gutmann and her entourage their personal cars.

"This was clearly a first step to a broader international role for Penn," Zeller said. "It was a real strategic opportunity" to implement the Penn Compact, Gutmann's three-pronged initiative to improve the University.

"I came away from my two weeks in India with an even greater appreciation and understanding of just how important Penn is to India and vice versa," Gutmann said in a statement.

Zeller said he had no estimate for the trip's cost, but said getting it together "was a big effort."

Gutmann also spoke with local and international media during her trip, including giving an interview to Seventeen magazine.

"There was a great deal of media interest in her," Zeller said, noting that Gutmann granted interviews to publications such as The Times of India, the Financial Times and The Economic Times.

Harker said that speaking with alumni worldwide is also helpful for increasing monetary donations.

"When you attend any school ... it really is a lifelong community that you are joining," Harker said. Alumni "realize the value of the degree they received, and they become more willing to give so that more generations can have the same opportunities."

In an all-alumni function held last Thursday, Gutmann spoke to a group of over 300 Indian alumni about the Penn Compact and her first year and a half as president.

Gutmann's trip was very personal, she said. Her father fled Nazi Germany in 1934 and was allowed to relocate to Mumbai with his four siblings and their parents. Gutmann spent the first half of her trip exploring her roots in India and meeting people who knew her father.

"It was a true homecoming for her," Alig said. "India is the country that saved her father's life and made her life possible."

An Asian tour is currently planned for Gutmann in March and will include visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Zeller stressed the importance of global engagement in places like India, where the college-age population is expected to surge.

"The role of Penn as we go forward in the next seven to 10 years fits perfectly," Zeller said.

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