Gov. Bill Richardson to give lecture at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will discuss "The Challenges of U.S. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy in the 21st Century" at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Purdue University as part of the 2011 Sears Lecture Series.
Richardson's lecture will be in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse. The Sears Lecture Series is sponsored by the Department of Political Science, which is housed in Purdue's College of Liberal Arts. All talks are free and open to the public.
"In this year's lecture series we have asked each speaker to address some specific aspect of change in international politics, whether it is how countries deal with human rights violations, the conduct of international diplomacy, changes in the status of women worldwide, or other global resource concerns," said Ann Marie Clark, associate professor of political science. "Our four speakers this year can help us think about these important issues. It will be a very exciting lecture series."
Richardson will offer a perspective from his wide political experience on how common global concerns – which may include migration patterns, global energy needs, and climate change – are affecting both international and U.S. politics, and how the U.S. can use its influence effectively in the United Nations and other global arenas.
In addition to serving as New Mexico governor, Richardson also has been U.S. energy secretary, ambassador to the United Nations and a congressman. He has frequently acted as a global trouble-shooter in negotiations for the release of Americans captured abroad, the easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula and diplomacy in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The biennial series is named for the late Purdue historian Louis Martin Sears, who was a faculty member in the then joint Department of History and Political Science from 1920 until his retirement in 1956. Sears specialized in diplomatic history and biography and was the author of numerous books. The lecture series bearing his name is alternately produced by the history and political science departments, in conjunction with Purdue Convocations.
Sources: Abby Eddy, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, 765-494-5045, aeeddy@purdue.edu
Ann Marie Clark, 765-494-7437, clarkam@purdue.edu