Early last week, President Mark Emmert flew to Los Angeles to attend the Milken Institute Global Conference, a summit where thousands of the world's most influential leaders gathered to discuss challenging issues.

Invited by Seattle business leaders, he made the trip to listen to a portion of the 470 panelists give presentations on a wide range of topics.

"They were talking about a lot of the things [the UW] cares about, which is why I was there," Emmert said, listing global health, climate change, K-12 education and financial energy issues as focal points of interest.

The event, featuring Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), actor Michael J. Fox and Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a veritable "who's who" of the United States.

"It was really fascinating," Emmert said.

Among the speakers was UW alumnus David Bonderman, principal and founding partner of Texas Pacific Group, whose talk Emmert cited as one of the most interesting.

Wednesday, a return flight brought Emmert home to Washington where he was faced with a backed-up schedule highly typical of returning from out-of-town. Much of the day was spent catching up, but he also spoke at a parent's club for Alpha Phi sorority and met with the chair for the vice president of minority affairs.

Thursday and early Friday brought a flurry of meetings with the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, reporters from The (Everett) Herald for discussion on the UW's new branch campus and the UW Foundation. However, a NorthWest Cable News (NWCN) interview presented a break from the quotidian.

"I shot a little spot with [NWCN] to promote Washington Weekend, the spring football game and all of that," Emmert said. "[It] was fun. That's just kind of show biz stuff."

The day brought further release as the president showcased his culinary skills, flipping burgers for a staff and faculty appreciation event in Red Square.

He then held a telephone conference with WSU President V. Lane Rawlins.

The well-touted and intense rivalry between the two universities doesn't extend to this arena.

"We were talking about some common opportunities today," he said.

In particular, the presidents agreed that a federal laboratory would be "very useful."

Emmert noted that the two often swap knowledge and experience.

"It's a really nice partnership, and he's been a very good friend; I'm going to miss him," Emmert said, referring to Rawlins' intention to step down at the end of this year.

Emmert concluded a varied day at the Seattle Museum of Flight, where he attended "Visions of Valor," a black tie fundraiser for the Medal of Honor Association.

Next week, Emmert's schedule is tinged with a strong community air, including a Wednesday night leadership event hosted by Sigma Chi Fraternity.

"It's something that I care a lot about," Emmert said. "We'll get a chance to talk about how [students] can help shape their experiences here to develop them into better leaders."

The event, "Town Meeting with the President: What is UW Doing to Produce Leaders for the 21st Century?" will be held Wednesday in Kane 220 at 5:45 p.m.

Reach columnist Brian Hutchinson at news@thedaily.washington.edu.