Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway is headed to Europe next week to raise funds and to attend an international economic forum.

Hemenway will be in London Sunday through Tuesday to meet with alumni and prospective donors.

He then is scheduled to participate in the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from Wednesday through Jan. 29. The meeting is expected to draw 500 chairmen and CEOs from the world’s leading companies, including 120 Fortune 500 companies. It also will include heads of state, cabinet ministers, ambassadors, international organizations, union and academic leaders and church officials.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to give Kansas and KU a seat at the table and to take part in a dialogue with world leaders on how to solve some of our toughest global problems,” Hemenway said in a statement. “This underscores our emphasis on giving students an international experience while at KU.”

Hemenway said he planned to share the information he learned from the forum with students and others on campus.

Topics expected to be covered at the event include climate change, equitable globalization, the global economy, global governance, the turmoil in the Middle East, poverty and weapons of mass destruction. It is being chaired by Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp. CEO, and CEOs of Infosys Technologies Citigroup, the New York Stock Exchange and Novartis.