
The Shorenstein Forum was created to acknowledge the contributions of Walter Shorenstein, eminent San Francisco business leader, philanthropist, and champion of Asian-American relations. Through his generous gift to APARC, the Forum addresses a range of critical issues between Asia and the United States - California in particular.
An integral part of the Pacific Rim, America's most populous state provides a key market for Asian exports, immigration, and investment; California's prodigious outflow of goods and services likewise exert important transformative effects on Asia. An ongoing examination of this multi-faceted relationship is one of the Forum's central purposes, and to that end Mr. Shorenstein's gift supports faculty and senior scholar positions at APARC, as well as some post-doctoral fellowships.
In addition to pure research, however, the Shorenstein Forum convenes senior policymakers, business executives, journalists, and others who shape developments in Asia-Pacific region. Through a host of public events, conferences, roundtable discussions, policy speeches, intellectual exchanges, lectures, and legislative briefings the Forum advances understanding through interaction, discussing significant problems and posing solutions.