UA organizes Ivy Leadership Summit

In collaboration with the student governments of the seven other Ivy League schools, the Undergraduate Assembly is currently planning next semester's Ivy Leadership Summit.

As part of the Ivy Council, several UA representatives -- including College sophomore Pooja Lakshmin and UA Secretary and Wharton junior Yelena Gershman -- are currently organizing the event, which will take place in New York City in late February.

"It is a shame that outside the realm of sports, there is practically no interaction among the students of the eight Ivy League institutions," said Gershman, who is also serving as the publicity chairman for the event. "This leadership summit is a first step to bridging this gap and providing Ivy League students with an opportunity to debate prevalent issues and to begin to build a network of friends that oversteps university boundaries."

The upcoming conference will focus on "Being a Leader in the Age of Technology and Globalization," and students will discuss the implications and effects of leadership decisions on both a domestic and an international platform in global economics and politics.

The summit will be composed of four panels, including Media & Global Society, Terrorism & the New Security Threat, Sustainable Development and The Role of the International Business.

"This year's summit will be very large-scale, as we have many speakers," said Lakshmin, who serves as the ILS liaison for Penn.

The ILS committee has already confirmed the attendance of several world-class leaders, including Forbes magazine CEO Steve Forbes and Iraqi Minister of Public Works Nasreen Barwari. Other invited guests include ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos, New Jersey Senator John Corzine and Merrill Lynch Chairman and CEO Stan O'Neal.

A total of 200 students from the Ivies are expected to attend, and Penn hopes to send at least 20 students.

"We are encouraging all students to apply for this conference -- including ones that are not involved in student government, but have an interest in international politics," Lakshmin said. "Applications will be available from this Wednesday to mid-January at ils.ivycouncil.org."

The Ivy Council's ILS is on its way to "becoming the most talked about event in the Ivy League," Columbia University senior and Ivy Council President Alex Cosmas said in a press release. "ILS 2004 is the most ambitious summit yet and... I have no doubt that it will be a success."

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