September 26, 2003 Former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev will give a Stephen A. Ogden Jr. Memorial Lecture on International Affairs on Monday, September 29, 2003, at noon in Lincoln Field on the Brown campus. President Gorbachev will speak on "Democracy's Impact on Globalization" and will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, conferred by University President Ruth J. Simmons. The Watson Institute for International Studies is cosponsoring the Ogden Lecture on Monday.
Tickets are required for admission to this event. However, a live video simulcast of the honorary degree ceremony and President Gorbachev's Ogden Memorial Lecture will be presented in the Salomon Center for Teaching. Tickets are not required for the simulcast.
"Regarded as one of the pre-eminent international figures of the late 20th century, Gorbachev led the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. He is credited with implementing revolutionary political and economic reforms in his country that fostered a new policy of peace and cooperation with the United States and ultimately ended Communist rule in Eastern Europe.
"Through perestroika (governmental restructuring), Gorbachev streamlined and decentralized the Communist Party's authority and helped pave the way for the breakup of the Soviet empire, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall and independence for Eastern European nations. Through glasnost (political openness), he developed strong relationships with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and other Western leaders. Among the legacies of the Reagan-Gorbachev alliance were two broad disarmament agreements that significantly reduced the danger of nuclear warfare between the superpowers. For his efforts to reduce international tensions, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
"In 1992 Gorbachev established the Gorbachev Foundation, also known as the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies. The nonprofit, nonpartisan educational foundation sponsors international research and debate on a range of issues, including world peace and global trade. In 1993, Gorbachev founded Green Cross International, an environmental advocacy organization.
"The Ogden Lectures were established in memory of Stephen A. Ogden Jr., a member of the Brown Class of 1960, who died in 1963 from injuries he suffered in a car accident shortly after his graduation. His family established the lecture series in 1965 as a tribute to his interest in international relations. Previous Ogden lecturers have included former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Queen Noor of Jordan, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, media mogul Ted Turner and former Sen. John Glenn, among others." From the Brown News Service
For more information about this event, call 401.863.2474.