UW-Madison’s growing reputation as a global research university was very much in evidence this past May when Chancellor John Wiley and Gilles Bousquet, Dean of International Studies, traveled to England for a series of important and exciting international events.
(right) Chancellor Willey and Dean Bousquet at the International Studies Advisory Board Meeting. Photo courtesy of Doug Cornish, Inmarsat Global Ltd.
The Chancellor joined Dean Bousquet and members of the International Studies Advisory Board in London for the Board’s first meeting away from the UW-Madison campus. Board members came from Europe and the Middle East as well as Wisconsin, New York, and Washington, D.C., for the all-day session. “It was a tremendous show of commitment from the board members, and the discussions were very productive,” Bousquet said, adding that members helped formulate new strategies for promoting global competence among UW-Madison students and more extensive business-University links. 
The meeting and associated activities were graciously hosted by alumni Andy Sukawaty (BBA, ’77), Chairman and CEO of Inmarsat Group Holdings, Ltd., and Paul and Carol Collins. Paul (BBA ’58), is the retired Vice Chairman of Citigroup and Co-chair of the university’s Create the Future Campaign.
(left) Chancellor Wiley greets alumni at the WAA reception in London. Photo by Stuart Edwards, Always Photography Limited.
Another important focus of the trip was a two-day series of meetings with leadership teams at the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, and Sheffield, partners with UW-Madison in the Worldwide Universities Network. The discussions cemented the strong research connections that already exist between UW-Madison and these institutions, but also suggested several new opportunities for innovation and collaboration in an international context.
(above) Chancellor John Wiley, Dean Gilles Bousquet, and Professor Michael Hinden with senior staff at the University of Manchester, at the official residence of Vice Chancellor, Alan Gilbert, second from left. Photo courtesy of University of Manchester.
WUN is a grouping of sixteen research-led institutions of international standing that have created a worldwide research and graduate education partnership. Chancellor Wiley serves on WUN’s executive committee, which also held an all-day business meeting during this trip. Representatives from Europe, the U.S., and China attended to share their perspectives on international education.
The U.K. trip ended with a festive alumni reunion in London hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Participants were not only happy to reconnect but were also eager to raise the profile of their alma mater as a premier institution internationally. “We are now seeing a powerful alumni network across Europe, an area where we have strong historic ties,” said Bousquet. “Our alums are great advocates for the UW-Madison, its programs, students and faculty, and for the importance of global connectedness.”
(above left) Members of the Dean of International Studies’ Advisory Board. Photo courtesy of Doug Cornish.