WUSTL chancellor announces a call to action for research universities worldwide

What: Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will announce a call to action for research universities worldwide to focus on the energy and environment as the greatest challenge of this century.

Who: Joining Chancellor Wrighton will be six of the 12 presidents of the premier research universities from around the world who gathered at Washington University May 4-7

In addition to Wrighton, the following presidents from these premier universities will make remarks:

• Khunying Suchada Kiranandana, president of Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok)

• Shenghong Wang, president of Fudan University (Shanghai)

• Ural Akbulut, president of Middle East Technical University (Ankara)

• Si-Chen Lee, president of National Taiwan University (Taipei)

• Usman Chatib Warsa, rector of University of Indonesia (Jakarta)

• Chang Young Jung, president of Yonsei University (Seoul)

Throughout the weekend, the presidents discussed ways their institutions are addressing global energy and environmental concerns at the International Symposium on Energy and Environment sponsored by Washington University's McDonnell International Scholars Academy.

From Israel and Turkey in the Middle East, and in Asia from Korea in the north, Indonesia in the south, Japan to the east and India to the west, 20 major research universities have joined Washington University in a partnership — the McDonnell International Scholars Academy — to build cooperation and understanding among people and institutions of the world.

The presidents, including Chancellor Wrighton, were joined this weekend by about 40 international academic leaders representing all 21 university partners in the McDonnell Academy. The university partners engage more than 200,000 of the world's most talented students.

Where: Whitaker Hall Auditorium, Washington University's Danforth Campus. Whitaker Hall is in the northeast corner of campus. It is at the corner of Hoyt Drive and Forest Park Parkway. Turn onto Hoyt Drive from either Forest Park Parkway, Brookings Drive or Forsyth Boulevard.

When: Noon, May 7, 2007

For more information, call Sue Killenberg McGinn at 314-935-5254 (office) or 314-603-6008 (cell).

For background information on the symposium, go to http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/9271.html.