08/2006

Fu Jun, vice dean, School of Government, at Peking University (far left) moderates a discussion about issues facing Northeast Asia today. Panelists included (left to right): Morris Chang, EF trustee and founding chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.; Edward Tian, chairman, China Broadband Capital Partners; Osamu Watanabe '90, chairman, Japan External Trade Organization; and Ronnie C. Chan, chairman, Hang Lung Properties Ltd.

EF Concludes Conference in Beijing

Eisenhower Fellowships and the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) welcomed more than 160 people at their two-day conference, Northeast Asia: Paths to Sustainable Growth, held June 23 and 24 in Beijing. The conference also served as an orientation for EF’s 2006 Northeast Asia Regional Program (NARP), which will bring 23 emerging leaders from China, China (Taiwan), Japan, and Korea to the United States in September 2006.

In his welcoming address, Clark T. Randt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China applauded Northeast Asia’s major economic accomplishments of the last 30 years and highlighted three challenges: “Today’s decisions on environmental protection, rule of law, and urbanization... will have profound impacts on regional development and living standards for years to come. Whether you are a banker, scholar, regulator, manager, or government official, you can play an important role in promoting sustainable growth.”

During a CEO roundtable, panelist Morris Chang, founder and chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, remarked, “To innovate is to make changes. This is the only valid response to the challenges of globalization and the new knowledge-based economies.”

Other discussion sessions covered the topics of energy, the rule of law, information technology, and financial markets. EF Trustee and Governor Christine Todd Whitman led a session on the environment and delivered the keynote speech at the luncheon on day two. She advised the incoming NARP Fellows to participate in voluntary action: “Use the knowledge and experience you gain through your Eisenhower Fellowship to truly make a difference... Dwight Eisenhower was an internationalist. Having shouldered the enormous burden of war, he knew that the path for peace and prosperity of the world ran through all the nations of the world.”

The event concluded with dinner at Jianfu Palace Garden in the Forbidden City, hosted by Ronnie C. Chan, chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited.

Read more about the conference here.

U.S. Embassy Minister Counselor for Political Affairs Josiah Rosenblatt,  Tantowi Yahya (Indonesia), Minister Counselor for Public Affairs Renee Earle, Elsa Lin, Micaela McGinley (Ireland), Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs Tom White, EF Vice President of Programs John Sommer, Kathryn Brahy (Belgium), Tal Ofek (Israel), Thierry Sibieude (France), Santiago Castro (Colombia), Ambassador Craig Stapleton, Toto Paglas (Philippines), Jacqueline Sibieude ,  Kamal Khalid (Malaysia), Cosmin Alexandru (Romania), Amy Khalid, and Julio Valenzuela

2005 MNP reunion held in Paris

An enthusiastic group of 2005 MNP Fellows convened in France for a reunion in early July. Generously organized by French Fellow Thierry Sibieude and his wife Jacqueline in their home region of Val d'Oise, near Paris, the agenda included a visit to the French National Assembly hosted by a Val d'Oise representative, a meeting with the U.S. Ambassador and top Embassy staff at his Parisian residence, and visits to a university, innovative training institute, and small enterprise incubators with which Sibieude is associated.

Also on the agenda were tourist outings to an impressionist museum, a venerable abbey, and bus and boat rides in both rural areas and Paris itself. Most memorable, however, was the Fellows' and family members' genuine pleasure derived from just being together again. They came from Belgium, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Romania. Especially touching was the happy relationship formed between the Indonesian and Romanian children; unable to communicate through a common language, they impressed all with their ability to do so through play.

John Sommer, EF vice president for programs, joined the group following his prior visits with groups of Fellows in eight central and western European countries.

New Alumni Fellows survey results released

The results of a recent survey of 2004-05 alumni Fellows not included in EF’s 2004 survey shows strong correlation with the latter’s results. Both queried alumni Fellows about the impact of Eisenhower Fellowships on their lives, both personally and professionally.

Ninety percent of the recent respondents reported that the Fellowship had a strong or very strong positive effect on their international perspective or world view, and 96% said the Fellowship had a strong or very strong positive effect on their understanding of the U.S. or host country and its institutions.

As one Fellow commented, “I used to be critical of the U.S. government and its policies, and often used to carry it to my criticism of Americans in general. After my trip to the U.S., I learn[ed] to differentiate the people of the U.S. from its government. Surely, my criticism of the U.S. has also blunted once I have understood the U.S. perspective.”

When asked if the fellowship experience contributed directly to any changes or improvements in the organizations or institutions with which the Fellow was involved, 79% said "yes.”

EF would like to thank the Fellows who participated in the survey for their time and contributions. EF will continue surveying new alumni Fellows every few years to track the impact of the EF experience.

BTC Oil Pipeline inauguration ceremony

Deputy Undersecretary for Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources Selahattin Cimen, ’01, Turkey, reports that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline inauguration ceremony took place in Ceyhan, Adana, on July 13, 2006. Running nearly 1,800 kilometers, the pipeline has been 10 years in the making. It runs through Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, bypassing the sensitive Bosporus Straits, and creating an important segue west for this region of the world. The regional economy is expected to blossom as a direct result.

Suleyman Demirel, '54, former President and Prime Minister of Turkey, along with the presidents of Azerbaijan and Georgia and the encouragement of former U.S. President Clinton, led efforts to persuade energy companies to establish the new energy corridor. 

Yirdukal Yigitgurden, ’92, Turkey, and Eisenhower Trustee and BP Group Chief Executive Lord Browne of Mattingly accompanied Presidents Ahmet Necdet Sezer (Turkey), Iham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), and Mikheil Saakashvili (Georgia) throughout the opening ceremonies along with Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erodgan.

María Nieves Tapia Basilico (far right) in Casa Rosada with President Nestor Kirchner (center) and others.

Presenter at international conference on education

María Nieves Tapia Basilico, ’88, Argentina, was invited in March to an International Conference on Education in Rome, where she presented her latest book, her first in Italian: "Educazione e Solidarietà,” on the topic of service-learning.

In May when the 2006 edition of the Presidential Award for Universities and Colleges performing service-learning was launched, Tapia Basilico was invited to the Casa Rosada (the Argentine equivalent of the White House) to meet with the President of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner.

Tapia Basilico is director of Argentina’s Federal Service-Learning Program (Programa Nacional Educación Solidaria) and director of the Latin American Center for Service-Learning (CLAYSS).

Dean of Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos de España

On June 14, 2006, Antonio M. Carrillo, ’98, Spain, was elected as the Dean of Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos de España and President of the Aeronautical Engineers Society of the Spain. Carrillo was previously the cabinet director for the Secretary of State of Transportation in Spain.

Re-elected to Colombia’s House of Representatives

On July 20, 2006, Santiago Castro, ’05, Colombia, took the oath of office for his fourth consecutive four-year term in the House of Representatives. Running as a member of the Conservative Party, he won with the majority of votes in his region of Valle del Cauca. This re-election makes Castro the most senior ranking member of his party in that cell. He has accumulated 12 years in office with the Congress and considers this may be his last term.

Editor, “The Chernobyl Catastrophe”

Ivan Blokov, ‘01, Russia, was one of the chief editors of the book “The Chernobyl Catastrophe: Consequences on Human Health.”  The book, which was published by Greenpeace, caused enormous worldwide interest during the Chernobyl anniversary in April 2006.

A copy of the book can be accessed here.

Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka

Nivard Ajith Cabraal, ’00, Sri Lanka, has been appointed governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Prior to his appointment, Cabraal acted as an advisor to President Rajapaksa on economic affairs and as secretary to the Ministry of Plan Implementation.

Head, Rothschild office in Turkey

International investment bank Rothschild has named Dr. Yilmaz Arguden, ’93, Turkey, as its representative in Turkey. Arguden, an adjunct professor of business strategy at Bosporus University and at the MBA program of Koc University, has been serving as a senior advisor to Rothschild since 2005.

CEO, Wireless Philadelphia

Greg H. Goldman, ‘03, USA, was named CEO of Wireless Philadelphia, making him the nonprofit’s first permanent chief executive. Goldman most recently was national sales manager for Korman Communities Inc., a Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, developer and owner of luxury apartments. From 1998 to 2004, he was executive director of Manna, a Philadelphia nonprofit that provides services to people with HIV/AIDS.