USC Global Conference

In a thirty minute keynote address to the attendees of the USC Global Conference, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed some of the secrets to his success—and ended up bringing audiences to their feet for a standing ovation from the 400-plus members of the audience.

Citing five personal rules that he lives by, Schwarzenegger gave examples from his life and the multiple professional roles his career has encompassed—bodybuilder, film star, entrepreneur, governor, now educator, as the Governor Downey Professor of State and Global Policy at USC.

USC President C. L. Max Nikias (L) and USC Board of Trustees chairman Edward P. Roski, Jr. (R) present USC Trustee Y.H. Cho with a citation of honor during the closing night gala.

From global epidemics; to developments in governance, technology, human welfare, education, art, public policy, and business; to the worldwide phenomenon of Korean pop culture, the panel sessions held at the USC Global Conference in Seoul, South Korea showcased the wide span of intellectual capital of the university’s faculty, and their deep ties to the research community in the Pacific Rim.

This panel and discussion portion of the conference included USC faculty experts, who invited many preeminent colleagues from all over Asia to join them in presenting a look into the future of their fields. The vantage point of the subject matter was highly focused on how Asian countries are the new epicenter for responses and solutions to some of the most pressing concerns of today: the growth of cities, the aging of the world population, infectious diseases, global economies, shifts in political power, and preparing for an increasingly technologically-driven future.

The University of Southern California, home to the largest international student population of any U.S. university, is seizing the opportunity to boost its already robust global reach as the world shifts to the Pacific Century.

Traditional Korean drummers open the 2013 Global Conference in Seoul.

At the official welcome reception and dinner of the 2013 USC Global Conference, hundreds of USC alumni and leaders gathered at the Grand Hyatt in the Namsan-dong neighborhood of Seoul, as the sounds of traditional Jungjin Samulnori drums filled the halls. The evening kicked off a 3-day exploration of USC connections to Korea and the Asia Pacific region, beginning with a welcome and update from the university’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Elizabeth Garrett.

USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett

“It is hard to imagine a more dynamic place to hold this year’s conference than Seoul,” said Garrett, “Like Los Angeles, the people of this city have embraced transformation and flexibility toward that which is relevant and useful in modern contexts. Seoul has evolved as a result of bold thinking and the can-do spirit of its people – people who maximize nearby resources and integrate their rich cultural heritage with entrepreneurial vision.”

SEOUL, May 23, 2013—The Trojan Family is already connecting and networking at full speed as final preparations are made for the opening of the USC Global Conference in Seoul, South Korea.

Today President C. L. Max Nikias and Dean Yannis Yortsos of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering jointly signed an agreement formalizing a partnership—the Airbus Institute for Engineering Research (AIER)—between the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, aircraft manufacturer Airbus, Inha University and Korea Aerospace University (KAU).

The president of Inha University, Choonbae Park, signed the agreement along with KAU president, Junku Yuh, and Mr. Jean-Francois Laval, executive vice president, Asia for Airbus. Under the agreement, Airbus will provide funding to support the work of all three universities working together collaboration is to conduct joint research projects in aerospace engineering.