MSU will celebrate the United Nations’ 56-year anniversary tonight by presenting the first of four World View speakers - Richard Holbrooke.
Holbrooke is regarded as one of the most accomplished American diplomats and negotiators of our time and as a former U.N. ambassador, will give MSU a glimpse of how the organization works.
He has also served as the assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs and the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Holbrooke speaks at 5:30 p.m. at Wharton Center Great Hall. Admission to the lecture is free for students, faculty and staff and $20 for general admission.
Bob Hoffman, a Wharton Center spokesman, said Holbrooke is the perfect speaker for the U.N. anniversary.
“He has been very significant in world politics, and he is well respected in the political arena,” he said.
He said Holbrooke has a lot of world experience and people would enjoy listening to him.
A five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Holbrooke has had a varied career as a professional diplomat, a magazine editor, a Peace Corps director and an investment banker. He was the chief negotiator of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords and the author of “To End A War,” which is about the Balkan war situation and the Bosnian peace process at Dayton.
Planned topics include his life, experiences and his time as a U.N. ambassador. The lecture will end with a question and answer period in which Holbrooke may address the recent international issues.
The World View series is aimed at bringing lecturers to campus who are renowned leaders or thinkers of the contemporary world.
“We hope to introduce some of the great world achievers of our time to the mid-Michigan community,” Hoffman said.
William Wright executive director of Wharton Center, said he hopes people who attend the lectures will leave a little wiser.
“I wanted to bring in people who have a world view in our time and could share it with us,” he said. “Holbrooke was very instrumental in resolving the Bosnian crisis, and people can learn about his experiences.”
Throughout the year, the World View series will showcase three other prominent people - Beverly Sills, a world-renowned opera singer, Molly Ivins, a syndicated columnist, and Spike Lee, an influential Hollywood filmmaker.
The celebration for the U.N. anniversary doesn’t end with Holbrooke’s lecture, it will continue into the community as well.
Lansing Mayor David Hollister will ask school kids to collect money for children in Afghanistan as they trick-or-treat on Halloween. The money will be given to UNICEF.
The initiative is part of a nationwide program asking children to collect money on Halloween. More than 3,000 UNICEF contribution boxes are going to be distributed throughout Lansing elementary schools next week.
