PENN STATE DICKINSON LAW DELEGATION EMBRACES OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT AND ENRICHMENT DURING TRIP TO SINGAPORE
December 2024 — A nine-person delegation of Penn State Dickinson Law faculty, staff, alumni, and invited guests recently traveled to Singapore to connect with businesspeople, public and private sector professionals, representatives of other law schools, and Penn State University graduates.
Participants applauded the opportunities for growth, learning, and networking throughout the six-day trip. They met new people, tried new foods, and explored new places, including the Newton Food Centre featured in Crazy Rich Asians. Lawyers from different continents bonded over shared passions, such as marathon running. And everyone raved about Singapore’s signature chili crab dish.
“We tried something new in pursuing this trip, which became a special experience connecting members of the Penn State Dickinson Law community with our counterparts in Singapore who use the same common law system as we do in the United States. We returned energized by these new relationships and initiatives, ready to act on what we learned, and with even more appreciation for the importance of the rule of law within an international context,” said Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway.
The impetus for the trip grew out of discussions between Conway and Daryl Lim, the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law at Penn State Dickinson Law and associate dean for research and innovation. Lim, a native of Singapore, had a relationship with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) that predated his 2022 arrival in Carlisle. He partnered with IPOS and the World Intellectual Property Organization to present February’s “International Dispute Resolution: What Every Lawyer and Corporate Counsel Needs to Know” seminar.
“At the event, Dean Conway met with members of the delegation from Singapore, and she floated the idea of visiting Singapore to thank them for attending and partnering with us and to see what we could do together. That started a six-month process of determining who we should meet and who might amplify the work we are doing at Penn State Dickinson Law,” said Lim.
The trip quickly expanded. Conway saw an opportunity to connect Penn State Dickinson Law alumni with other University graduates living abroad as well as Law School faculty, staff, and partners. Participants included three attorneys from the Chinese branches of law firms GEN Law and Greenberg Traurig, as well as Penn State Dickinson Law Director of Career Services Tom Lee, Interim Director of Campus Development Kristen Wynn Stellfox, and Assistant Director of Development Brett Conway (no relation to Dean Conway).
Dean Conway envisioned a retreat during which people could relax, eat, and converse, sharing knowledge through more informal channels than traditional business trips. The late October visit achieved that and more. “I was interested in learning more about and experiencing Singapore. It also was important to me from a cultural perspective because the trip came when I needed an escape valve from the United States election cycle,” said trip participant Susan Jin Davis ’90, social impact officer for Al Roker Entertainment and former chief sustainability officer for Comcast NBCUniversal. “We can get so America-focused, and once I got to Singapore, I found myself thinking, ‘There is a whole world out there, and America is not the center of it. We have so much to learn from other countries.’”
Meetings with ‘a thread of commonality’
Each day featured multiple meetings with local businesses, government officials, or universities. The delegation sat down with attorneys from Allen & Gledhill and IPOS employees. They shared insights with representatives from Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Academy of Law, National University of Singapore, and NUS College. They heard from local leaders at Meta, the Ministry of Law, and Maxwell Chambers, a dispute resolution firm. During a site visit to MiRXES, an RNA tech company, the delegation witnessed research and development work focused on early cancer detection.
“Dean Conway started every meeting by saying, ‘We are not here for any other reason than to learn, to grow, to be enriched, and to understand how we could potentially work together.’ That invited the people in the room to say, ‘Let us tell you all the things we are doing,’” said Jin Davis. “There was a lot of pride about what Singapore is doing and what it wants to do. We have much to gain from being a full participant in the global community.”
These days, people worldwide can chat via video calls. But Lim noted the trip encouraged deeper connections that technology cannot deliver. “Many of the real conversations took place when we invited people to our reception or meals after meetings. We experienced more than just an official exchange, which sometimes can be scripted and constrained; we
engaged in authentic relationship building and cross-cultural understanding, creating a foundation for future collaborations,” said Lim.
Jin Davis enjoyed hearing about the shared societal values championed by the speakers. “I liked how there were many different meetings with government, private industry, and academia, and there was a thread of commonality of values in the meetings. People in Singapore care about social impact and addressing citizens’ basic needs and rights, like livable wages, quality education for all, and housing. Singapore cares about sustainability and environmental responsibility. They embed these things into their daily lives, including in business, academia, and government,” said Jin Davis.
Penn State alumni thriving in Singapore
Connecting with members of the Penn State community who live in Singapore was another highlight of the trip. Emily McKenna ’12, who heads up the Penn State Alumni Association’s Singapore Chapter, said it took six years for her group to earn recognition as an international chapter. They raise funds for THON, offer job advice and mentorship, make business and social introductions, and share food and drink. They were thrilled to welcome Penn State Dickinson Law community members.
“Seeing Penn State delegations recognize the importance of Singapore as a partner for the University is so wonderful. There is so much that Singapore can offer to the University and so many ways the relationship can be mutually beneficial. It has been exciting to see Penn State Dickinson Law and other delegations make their way to Singapore to build on those relationships with local businesses, universities, and experts,” said McKenna.
Midway through the trip, Penn State Dickinson Law hosted an alumni and friends reception at Tower Club Singapore. “The people in the Singapore Chapter are passionate about Penn State. They get together often and even have the occasional football watch parties at 7 a.m. on Sundays,” said Brett Conway. “It was an opportunity to touch base with Penn State alumni who came to the reception for the purpose of strengthening their relationship with Penn State Dickinson Law.”
Forging future partnerships
Every good trip must end, but collaboration between Penn State Dickinson Law and the new connections made in Singapore have just begun. Lim pointed to several partnerships solidified or created abroad, including at least one new externship with GEN Law Firm in China for Penn State Dickinson Law students and a potential mediation course modeled after a Singapore International Arbitration Center class.
Lim said everyone in the delegation played a leadership role, whether in leading the discussion during a meeting, organizing the alumni reception, or rallying delegates for an excursion to Little India to celebrate Diwali (known in Singapore as Deepavali). “That sense of ownership draws people together in a way that is meaningful, memorable, and authentic,” said Lim.
Many in the delegation were already talking about returning to Singapore, where they will be welcomed back with open arms. “Singapore is a vibrant city brimming with potential,” said McKenna. “Not only has it marked itself as a leader in business, sustainability, and forward-looking tech, it is also an extremely transient city-state that sees many new transplants for two- to three-year contracts as they set up their Asia and Pacific office or take entry-level jobs at international corporations. We cannot wait to welcome future Penn State delegations to Singapore and find creative ways we can support the University.”
