At a gala dinner on April 19, 2012, USC president C. L. Max Nikias accepted the Committee of 100’s Advancement of U.S.-China Relations award on behalf of the University of Southern California. The dinner marked the opening of the committee’s 21st annual conference, convened under the banner of “Common Ground” to bring together leaders from around the world to address global business, environmental, and social/political issues affecting U.S.-China relations and the Chinese-American community. Conference co-chairs included USC trustee Ming Hsieh BSEE ’83, MSEE ’84, who is CEO, president, and chairman of Cogent, Inc., and alumnus William Wang ’86, who is founder and CEO of VIZIO, Inc. USC trustee Ronnie C. Chan MBA ’76, chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited and Hang Lung Properties Limited, is a member of the Committee of 100.