People and Community University

Frenk, university leaders to discuss research amid a pandemic

University of Miami President Julio Frenk and two former government leaders, who now oversee multicampus systems, will address the strains COVID-19 has put on colleges and how their research capabilities can help to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society.

University of Miami President Julio Frenk, a global public health expert and former minister of health for Mexico, will join two other high-profile college presidents this week in a discussion about the role research universities can play in crafting solutions to minimize the damage from COVID-19.

Organized by the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society, Frenk will be joined by Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California system of 10 campuses, and Kristina M. Johnson, chancellor of the State University of New York, which includes 64 campuses.

Napolitano, a former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was also the governor of Arizona and its attorney general prior to joining the Obama administration. Johnson, an accomplished electrical engineer, also served as Under Secretary of Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy and was provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at John Hopkins University before heading to the nation’s capital.

The hour-long discourse, “The Future of Higher Education: How Universities are Responding to COVID-19,” will be moderated by Dan Porterfield, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. It will be held on Thursday, June 25, from 5 to 6 p.m. through Zoom, and it will also delve into how university medical centers are responding to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as their ability to develop a vaccine that could combat the spread of COVID-19.    

To register for the live event, click here. To learn more about the event and its speakers, visit the Aspen Institute’s website here.