Hong Kong – On the heels of a successful, seven-year fundraising campaign, University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann will visit Hong Kong in May to host a Penn alumni event on May 21 for alumni from throughout Asia.

More than 250 alumni and friends are expected at the event. Approximately 15,000 Penn alumni currently live in Asia, with high concentrations in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai. More than 60 percent of Penn’s international students are from Asia.

Late last year, President Gutmann announced early plans for a Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing. The creation of the center is a major new initiative in the University’s pillar of engaging globally.

“Penn is deeply committed to its engagement in China,” said Gutmann. “The Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing will help build relationships with the local entrepreneurial community in China, bringing together prospective students, alumni, and business leaders through various partnerships and programs.”

Already, eleven of Penn’s 12 schools have an engagement with at least one partner university in China, for a total of 39 formal agreements with 17 institutions in China.

Making History Highlights:

In February, the University announced the completion of its Making History Campaign, raising a total of $4.3 billion and surpassing its original goal of $3.5 billion 16 months ahead of schedule.

“When the Penn community comes together for a common purpose, it generates remarkable transformative power,” Gutmann said. “The Penn alumni community in Asia is proud and powerful, and we are thrilled to celebrate the campaign’s remarkable success with our alumni from throughout the region.”

 Expanding Student Financial Aid:

Last year alone, Chinese students received $13.4 million in financial aid, with the majority of those funds being awarded to graduate students. This is an increase of more than 50 percent over the last five years.

Recruiting and Retaining a World-Class Faculty and Staff: A total of $573 million was raised for faculty, director, coach and curator positions, including 22 new Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professorships, a centerpiece of Penn’s leadership in integrating knowledge. Each PIK professor holds a joint faculty appointment across two schools.

Expanding a Green Urban Campus: Nowhere is the impact of the Campaign more noticeable than on campus. Every new building made possible by the Campaign has been designed to be “green” and to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, sustainability standards.

The $753 million raised for facilities includes the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s new building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki of Japan

Extending Penn’s Global Reach: Engaging Globally at Penn:

In March 2013, Penn announced a gift from Richard Perry (W’77) and Lisa Perry to create the Perry World House, located on Penn’s campus (in Philadelphia). They have also created the Richard Perry Endowed Professorship for an exceptional scholar with a global focus.

The Perry World House will be a gathering place for students and faculty across all 12 of Penn’s schools interested in global issues. It will provide spaces that will support innovative research, enhance the flow of ideas between Penn and global policymakers, and provide a wide range of student opportunities focused on major international issues.

About a third of Penn’s faculty engage in global research and teaching, including projects such as pioneering environmentally sound building design in both China and the United States through the TC Chan Center, a partnership between Penn and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

International programs aided and created through the Campaign include the Penn Wharton China Center, which will provide Penn with a university-wide presence in Beijing.

The Power of the Penn Community: Increasing Penn’s connection with 290,000 alumni around the globe was a key objective of the Campaign, which saw a surge in alumni involvement. Attendance for major alumni events and programs has risen by 66 percent, and young alumni participation has increased by 89 percent during the last seven years.