USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett and Marshall School Dean James Ellis welcomed decorated Trojan Olympian Rebecca Soni ’09.

Economists from both sides of the Atlantic found cause for guarded optimism on the global economy at the inaugural USC Global Conversation, October 9 in London.

With a theme, “The Future of the Global Economy,” that at least presupposed its continued existence, speakers pointed to growth in developing countries and in a global knowledge economy as reasons for a rosier outlook.

USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth Garrett led off the discussion by noting the ways in which USC has been a global institution from the beginning: from its diverse entering class in 1880, to its leadership among American universities in enrolling international students, its location in a city that is “a microcosm for the world,” and its intense efforts to develop a global presence through international offices and classroom technologies that unite students from across the world.

Keynote speaker The Right Honorable Jack Straw, MP, listed the biggest challenges facing the world, including turmoil in the Eurozone, overly optimistic expectations for China’s ability to rescue the economy, and continued unrest and risk of war in the Middle East.

He noted that many Western countries are slashing their defense budgets, and urged them to reverse course to keep the peace in a world of “sharper elbows” with more centers of power. Straw also called for greater openness to immigration as a vital source of talent and new ideas.

Looking forward, Straw said the growth of developing countries, including India, and the ongoing move towards a knowledge economy gave him some optimism that the first half of the 21^st century could produce another long economic boom.

Moderator Lord John Eatwell, a leading economist and president of Queen’s College in Cambridge who also teaches at USC, struck a less cheerful tone when he started the panel discussion by asking why, during a period of historic technological innovation, “are we doing so badly”?

Manuel Castells, USC University Professor and the most cited communication scholar in the world, said the most damaging consequence of the financial crisis has been loss of trust in the two most powerful institutions in the world: the financial and political systems.

“People don’t trust their governments,” he stated.

Mergers and acquisitions specialist Pip McCrostie, a global vice chair for conference sponsor Ernst & Young, defended the financial industry.

“Corporate business has brought a lot of growth in past decades, specifically through means of M&As,” she said, adding such deals are at an all-time low despite fundamentally sound finances at major corporations.

Economist Hashem Pesaran, holder of a named chair at USC, called on the world’s financial centers in New York, London and Frankfurt to loosen their grip on capital and make room for market makers in developing countries.

“You have an imbalance in the world recovery,” he said, noting that developing countries creating more of the world’s wealth are forced to invest it in a handful of closely related markets, often at great risk for both them and individual investors.

“The correlation among these markets has been rising since 1995. You can’t put your eggs in any other basket. It doesn’t exist,” Pesaran said.

Sir David Anthony King, former chief scientific adviser to the British government and a professor at Oxford and Cambridge, moved the conversation past strictly financial terms. He said that while population growth is tapering off, resource use continues to increase sharply, with disastrous implications for the planet and its people.

“We are damaging the global commons at an alarming rate,” he said, adding that he considered “short-termism” in policy the greatest obstacle to sustainable growth.

After a question period Eatwell ended the panel on a positive note, reminding the audience that “universities are optimistic places” where solutions are born.

“The program which USC has defined for itself points towards that fundamental optimism,” he said.

Repeating that note, Trojan Olympian and three-time gold medalist Rebecca Soni ‘09 closed the program with an inspirational talk about her successful quest to repeat her gold-medal performance from Beijing and achieve a new personal best time, which was also good enough for a world record.

Watch the panel discussion here.

From left to right: The Right Honorable Jack Straw, MP; Lord John Eatwell; Manuel Castells; Pip McCrostie; Sir David King; Hashem Pesaran.

USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth Garrett

Legal scholar and USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett welcomed a distinguished group of guests and panelists Monday, Oct. 8 to a USC Global Conversation event focused on lasting recovery during one of the deepest economic crises of the past century.

With its theme as “The Future of the Global Economy,” the October 9 panel discussion will gather leading economic experts from USC and the U.K. policy world, including keynote speaker The Right Honorable Jack Straw, Member of Parliament and former Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons under then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In remarks at a reception the evening before the discussion, Garrett emphasized the university’s international character, in diversity and number of both students and faculty. USC has enrolled the most international students of any university in the U.S. for more than a decade, and also boasts a highly diverse community of scholars.

“Our longstanding reputation as an engaged institution accessible to scholars around the world makes it even more important that we continue to open and nurture channels of dialogues with friends and peers overseas,” Garrett said.

“Our scholarly community – faculty, students, alumni, and supporters – extends to every continent, and we rely on this community to represent our institutional values across the world.  We believe that rigorous discussion of issues that are important to governments around the world helps us form meaningful connections.”

James Ellis, dean of the USC Marshall School of Business, acknowledged the daunting challenges facing world economies, and the lack of agreement by policymakers on effective solutions.

“What do we do? What can we do, and what can we as an academic institution do as we prepare the next generation of leaders?” he asked, promising a start toward some answers at the next day’s discussion. Panelists at the USC Global Conversation include leading financial experts from USC and institutions in the U.K.

“During the Global Conversation we will hear from experts, policymakers and educators from around the world, as we address the challenges still facing our global economy,” Garrett said.

Garrett recognized the distinguished guests in the crowd, which included many London-based Trojans, three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming and world record holder Rebecca Soni ’09, hurdler and Olympic medalist Tasha Danvers ’02, and senior administrators and deans from 11 other USC schools.

Provost Elizabeth Garrett, center, and Alumni Association CEO Scott Mory, far left, with, from left to right, London Trojans Jennifer Ladwig ’99, Walter Ladwig ’98, Priya Kapoor ’06, Jennifer Gaines ’01 and Vojtech Horna ’07.

Members of the USC Alumni Club of London welcomed guests and participants in the USC Global Conversation Sunday, Oct. 7 for a twilight river cruise on the Thames. The excursion brought together USC alumni in London, USC faculty and administrators in London for the Global Conversation, USC trustee Stanley Gold and distinguished Trojans swimmer Rebecca Soni ’09, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and hurdler Tasha Danvers ’02, Olympic medalist at the Beijing games.

London alumni club presidents Jennifer and Walter Ladwig, ’99 and ’98 respectively, hosted the sightseeing trip.

At right, Jennifer and Walter Ladwig welcomed record-setting Olympian and fellow Trojan Rebecca Soni to the USC Global Conversation with a sightseeing cruise for attendees on Sunday, Oct. 7.

SPECIAL GUEST: Rebecca Soni ’09

Trojan Olympian and Gold Medalist, 2012 Olympic Games

Swimming champion Rebecca Soni is a world-record holder and gold medalist in two Olympics – Beijing and London. Her medal-count from the London Olympics weighed in at two golds (in 200-meter breaststroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay) and a silver (in the 100 meter breaststroke).

She made history again in London, first setting a new world record of 2:20:00 in the 200 meter breaststroke semifinal, then promptly breaking her own new world record with a 2:19.59 in the final.

She now has six career Olympic medals, three gold and three silver.

Theatre Night: Matilda the Musical

Dine with USC School of Dramatic Arts Dean Madeline Puzo before seeing the smash hit musical version of Roald Dahl’s classic story Matilda, which the Daily Telegraph calls “hilarious,  moving and magical – a glorious production.”
(Tuesday, Oct. 9, 5 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. performance; $180 per person)

Private Cruise on the Thames

Join the USC Alumni Club of London on a cruise down the River Thames and enjoy the view of London’s many historic landmarks from an unparalleled vantage point. (Sunday, Oct. 7 from 5:30 p.m.; $80 per person)

Traditional London Pub Night

Join fellow alumni for a casual evening of networking and fun in a traditional London pub. (Monday, Oct. 8 from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m.; free admission)

The University of Southern California is proud to initiate The Global Conversation, continuing its leadership role in the knowledge landscape. Meet top professionals engaged in this enterprise during our October 8-9 event in London; and join the conversation.

This event is generously supported by

]]> http://uscinlondon.usc.edu/2012/03/28/introduction/feed/ 0 http://uscinlondon.usc.edu/2012/03/28/46-speakers-announced/ http://uscinlondon.usc.edu/2012/03/28/46-speakers-announced/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:22:36 +0000 dheller https://uscinlondon.usc.edu/?p=33 Continue reading →]]> Jack Straw, British Labour Member of Parliament and former UK Foreign and Home Secretary, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural USC Global Conversation, to be held in London, England from October8-9, 2012.  Straw has been a member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn since 1979. He served as Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 and Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons from 2006 to 2007 under Tony Blair. From 2007 to 2010 he was the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and the Secretary of State for Justice, appointed as part of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s first Cabinet. Straw is one of only three people to have served in Cabinet continuously from 1997 to 2010.