The University of Pennsylvania (“Penn”) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (“Wharton”) today announced the opening of the Penn Wharton China Center (“PWCC”) in Beijing, China. The Center is an important expansion of Penn’s engagement with China, which began in 1896 when the first Chinese student enrolled at Penn. It will operate through the University’s China based affiliate, Penn Wharton Consulting (Beijing) Co, LTD.

The Center will serve as a valuable resource and vibrant gathering place enhancing learning and research opportunities to the benefit of Penn’s faculty, students, alumni and friends in China. Through its consulting programs, it will also support Chinese executives and others in acquiring the practical skills and perspectives that will help them successfully lead their organizations in a global context.  

“We are delighted to launch the Penn Wharton China Center,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “We are building on Penn's history of broad, deep engagement with China and creating a Center that provides an impressive infrastructure and significant resources to augment the University of Pennsylvania's many collaborations and partnerships with great Chinese educational institutions. The Center represents another major milestone in the Penn Compact 2020’s vision of bringing Penn to the world and the world to Penn.”

“The Penn Wharton China Center will play a pivotal role in furthering Penn’s dual missions of research and learning,” said Penn Provost Vincent Price. “It will provide a much-needed, on-the-ground hub for our faculty and students at Penn and Wharton, advancing both our faculty’s research and our students’ learning experiences.”

To celebrate the opening, Provost Price will lead a delegation of more than 40 faculty and senior administrators from Penn that includes Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel, Dean of the Wharton School Geoffrey Garrett and seven other Penn deans. They are convening a two-day series of academic discussions this month featuring a roundtable with Chinese university leaders to discuss issues in higher education, panel discussions with senior Chinese business leaders and Penn scholars, and research talks with Penn faculty and deans. These events kick off a six-month grand opening, which will bring to China the best of Penn and Wharton and culminate with a Gala Celebration and Forum in September 2015 with Penn President Amy Gutmann. Details on these and all events are available at http://pwcc.upenn.edu.

“The Penn Wharton China Center reaffirms the Wharton School’s commitment to serving as the premier innovator in global business education and to strengthening relationships across the globe,” said Wharton Dean Garrett. “We are excited to officially open the Penn Wharton China Center, which further enhances Wharton’s position as a training ground for current and future global leaders across public and private sectors in China. The Center will be an invaluable resource available to the nearly 1,800 Wharton alumni living in China, and 10,000 Penn alumni currently living in Asia.”

“With the launch of the new Penn Wharton China Center, I look forward to welcoming Penn and Wharton faculty and students to spend more time in China and to boost ties with Chinese partner institutions,” said John Zhang, Murrel J. Ades Professor of Marketing and Penn Wharton China Center Executive Faculty Director.

Penn is also pleased to announce the creation of a fund to support research and collaborative projects that focus on China or are carried out in conjunction with a China-based partner or institution. Through the Penn China Research and Engagement Fund, the University will provide $10 million over five years for projects that create knowledge in partnership with Chinese researchers, deepen the contributions of Penn faculty members to the understanding of China, increase Penn’s engagement in China, or develop innovative educational and curricular programs for Penn students and lifelong learners. 

A Chinese version of this news release is here.

About the Penn Wharton China Center (PWCC)

The Penn Wharton China Center (宾大沃顿中国中心) was founded by the University of Pennsylvania (宾夕法尼亚大学) and the Wharton School (宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院) through the University’s China-based affiliate, to enhance the university’s many important connections in China. By serving as a vibrant gathering place and valuable resource in China, the PWCC will help Penn enhance its learning and research opportunities ultimately to the benefit of our faculty, students, alumni, and friends. Located in Beijing, the Penn Wharton China Center capitalizes on more than a hundred years of broad, deep engagement in China across Penn and at Wharton.

About the University of Pennsylvania (宾夕法尼亚大学)

The University of Pennsylvania, America’s first university, was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Penn is also home to America’s first medical school, its first teaching hospital, and its first collegiate business school. Today, Penn’s 12 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools make up a diverse community of more than 20,000 students from across the United States and around the world. Ranked consistently among the top 10 universities in the nation, Penn has a longstanding reputation for excellence in graduate and professional education, with several of these ranked at or near the top in their fields. Penn is a member of the Ivy League, a group of eight American universities that have common interests in scholarship as well as in athletics.

Penn Compact 2020

Launched by Penn President Amy Gutmann, the Penn Compact 2020 builds on the past decade of progress in advancing the University of Pennsylvania. It is a far-reaching vision that outlines next steps to increase access to Penn's exceptional intellectual resources; integrate knowledge across academic disciplines with emphasis on innovative understanding and discovery; and engage locally, nationally, and globally to bring the benefits of Penn's research, teaching, and service to individuals and communities at home and around the world.

About the Wharton School (宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院)

Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and a powerful alumni network of 93,000 graduates.

For more information, please visit pwcc.upenn.edu or contact:

Amanda Mott
University of Pennsylvania
ammott@upenn.edu

Jingjing Zhang
Brunswick Group
pwcc@brunswickgroup.com