One of my favorite things about Yale is our deep sense of community—so deep it seems to be in our very DNA. I touched on this, in a very local sense, in my note to you two weeks ago. Today I am writing to you from Beijing, mid-way through a three-day visit to China that has reminded me that the Yale community is as strong and vibrant 7,000 miles away from campus as it is in New Haven.
Today I had the honor of joining School of Management Dean Ted Snyder and other Yale leaders at the unveiling of the new Yale Center Beijing. The center was conceived as a hub for Yale teaching and scholarship in China and a place for all of our faculty to build partnerships with colleagues from China and around the world. Three generous Yale alumni and friends—Neil Shen, Bob Xu, and Brad Huang—made the center possible, and they have our deepest gratitude. At the center’s opening conference, we are getting a taste of the kind of fruitful activity that will happen here in the months and years to come. We have had panel discussions on music and sustainability; launched a new dual-degree program between the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and Tsinghua University School of Environment; hosted a CEO summit organized by Yale SOM; and held the kick-off meeting of the board of advisors who will help us shape our strategy for Yale Center Beijing into the future.
And that was just day one! At Evans Hall tonight (9 p.m. New Haven time) there will be a live-stream viewing of a conference session on health care. (View the attached flyer for event details, including registration information.) Tomorrow’s program will include talks on technology, internationalization, and finance. And Yalies will gather at the center in the evening for an alumni reception.
In the coming year, schools, departments, and programs from all across the university will be developing plans for creative use of this wonderful new resource—a Yale home away from home, in the heart of Beijing, for the community that is rooted in New Haven and flourishes around the globe.