A conversation with Penn Forward’s Global Opportunity and New Markets co-chairs

What was your journey to Penn?

Ryerson: I was an undergraduate at Penn, and as a systems engineering student I learned the power of interdisciplinary thinking to solve big, complex problems. After graduate school, I returned to join the faculty where I sit between two departments: City and Regional Planning, and my alma mater, Electrical and Systems Engineering. I founded two transportation research initiatives centered on resilience and governance, connecting public sector leaders with the research they need to make decisions. During my time at Penn, all the ways I’ve engaged across campus—from building the Research Support Center at Weitzman as Associate Dean to unexpectedly getting to know the health system as a cancer patient at Abramson’s Cancer Center—I’ve been inspired by the expertise and commitment across the Penn community. Penn is a powerful force for good, and Penn Forward is the next step in that.

Emanuel: I came to Penn after leading the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health and serving in the Obama White House working on the Affordable Care Act, nutrition, global health assistance, and initiating a revision of the rules regarding human subject research to improve efficiency and protections. I was drawn to Penn by the opportunity to build a similarly strong program in medical ethics and health policy and developing a University-wide strategy for Penn’s global work and engagement.

Why are you the right leaders for this group?

Emanuel: One of the things that’s common between Megan and myself is the fact that both of us have founded administrative units. I founded a department, but more importantly I founded Penn Global, and Megan founded the administrative research associate deanship at Weitzman. That process of basically doing a startup but inside an academic institution is what’s common to both of us. One thing that’s true of every startup I know is that they can’t get too attached to any individual component—they have to be ready to pivot.

When you think about kicking the tires and testing assumptions, what has that meant as you’ve had discussions?

Emanuel: I think part of it is, is it big enough? We have about seven ideas now—all are worth doing, but about three or four are big enough for this sort of strategic reorientation process.

Ryerson: LaGuardia Airport is built on water because in the 1940s we thought we’d predominantly be using seaplanes. By the 1950s, jets took over and LaGuardia’s location became a liability. For Penn Forward, it means that we have to plan knowing that the way people learn, research, and engage with Penn in as few as 10 years could be fundamentally different. We’re making decisions today that will impact and influence Penn for decades to come. How can we scenario plan?  What can we design today so Penn continues to thrive in the future?

We’ve also leaned on the expertise of our group. We have tremendous expertise in the future of global impact, the future of K-12 and continuing education, of online and in-person learning, of connecting with alumni and our broader community, and of industry and innovation. Our jobs as leaders of the working group are to bring these incredible experts together to get them to share freely and blend this knowledge to come up with initiatives that will help shape our way forward.

How would you describe the charge of this working group?

Emanuel: I think the question is, ‘What are the institutional structures we need to put in place that will allow us to maintain and expand our global efforts at education and research, and what new opportunities should Penn pursue to have impact?’

One of the critical elements of strategic thinking is knowing you’re not going to get everything right. You’re going to establish a point of direction. What we’re trying to do is establish a point of direction and then think about ‘What kind of institutional structure should we have so that, no matter how the situation changes, our institution can adapt and remain productive?’ I make this point multiple times in our group: ‘Who is going to wake up every morning at Penn and be thinking about this area?’ For example, K-12 and long-term learning. Who is that person?’ We don’t [currently] have that person, getting up every morning and asking, ‘OK, how do we optimize this?’

It’s about what the institution needs to be able to address this and, as Megan said, over decades and not just now. Because who knows how long this deglobalization and more nationalistic moment is going to last, and we need to be prepared, lean further into our global work, and stay focused. Our alumni are everywhere, and they expect Penn to remain globally engaged. We have a responsibility to do so, no matter the prevailing sentiment in Washington or around the world.

And Penn is not retreating from global engagement?

Emanuel: Absolutely not. Another thing I say in Penn Global: When the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War was won, many institutions, including the government, dialed back their focus on Russia and Russian studies. The USSR was done, right? Well, surprise! That turned out to be a mistake, as we’ve seen 35 years later. We can’t afford to make that mistake again.

Where are you all in this process right now?

Emanuel: Very far along. Because of Megan we’ve driven pretty far, pretty fast.

Ryerson: We hit the ground running. Everyone brought their expertise and shared generously so we could benefit from knowledge about initiatives across campus. We are thinking big and collaboratively and moving fast with a focus on impact. Thanks to the hard work of the team at and between meetings, we are at the point where we have some initiatives that are mature, and some that are still being debated and refined. This means we are focused on the real issues of implementation: What are the choices we must make for this initiative to be successful, and what are the consequences of those choices?

Why should people be excited about Penn Forward?

Emanuel: I think if we do our job right, these are going to be big, structural reorientations for the University. And at least for the alumni, there should be new ways of intersecting with the University. For faculty, I think there will be new ways of doing their research and making impact. Part of what we do at Penn Global is encourage colleagues who may not have considered a global perspective to explore how a global lens can enhance their work. If we’re successful, that will be very much the case here.

Ryerson: We were charged to define and champion initiatives that will make an impact. And to do so, every working group is building on and operationalizing In Principle and Practice. In Principle and Practice didn’t sit on a shelf. We as a Penn community defined who we are, what matters to us, and our shared values, and now we’re interpreting these values into initiatives. That, to me, is a positive, values-driven process.