An Evening with Richard Haass as interviewed by Harry Smith ’73
Central College, Pella Corporation and Vermeer Corporation present “An Evening with Richard Haass as interviewed by Harry Smith ’73” Monday, March 28, as part of Central’s Inaugural Year celebration. This signature event for the Inaugural Year: Horizons of Opportunity begins at 7 p.m. in Douwstra Auditorium and is free and open to the public. A post-event reception will be held in Graham Conference Center, Room 1.
Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations since 2003, will be interviewed by Smith, CBS news reporter and Central trustee and alumnus, with a question and answer session to follow.
The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
Haass is author/editor of 11 books on American foreign policy. He has been U.S. coordinator for the Future of Afghanistan. He served in the Departments of State and Defense and was a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate. From 1989-93, he was special assistant to United States President George Bush and National Security Council Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs. In 1991, he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal for his contributions to the development and articulation of U.S. policy during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. For two years, Haass was director of policy planning for the Department of State, where he was a principal adviser to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold the rank of ambassador, Haass also served as a U.S. coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan and U.S. envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process. For his efforts, he received the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award. Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, Haass advised several members of both the Republican and Democratic Party on issues regarding foreign policy, but did not publicly endorse a candidate due to the Council on Foreign Relations’ non-partisan stance.
Haass also was vice president and director of foreign policy studies at Brookings Institution, the Sol. M. Linowitz vising professor of international studies at Hamilton College, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
A Rhodes Scholar, Haass holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and Master and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Oxford University. He received honorary doctorates from Hamilton College, Franklin and Marshall College, Georgetown University and Oberlin College. Haass lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
Other events
In a week of global events, Central’s dining services will highlight food from countries where Pella Corporation and Vermeer Corporation have facilities. Dining services created a culinary passport for the occasion, which may be found in the March 23 Town Crier to be used for $1 off lunch at the Central Market Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Lunch Wednesday will be at the Vermeer Pavilion. Tuesday-Friday, the public is invited to lunch and learn opportunities which feature various topics.
Tuesday, Central welcomes a panel of alumni who will discuss employment with a global component. Wednesday, an international dinner will feature foods from Central’s nationally ranked study abroad programs followed by the Red Vocal and Instrumental Combos concert highlighting music with an international flare. Thursday, Central will feature a Chinese film “In the Mood for Love.”
In addition, Central College Abroad will host its cooperative schools and directors on campus March 31-April 1 for its annual meeting. A panel of study abroad alumni will talk about the value of experiential learning to career success.
For a full listing of events, go to http://www.central.edu/inauguralYear/globalweek/schedule.cfm.
Horizons of Opportunity
Horizons of Opportunity celebrates the inaugural year of Central College’s 21st President Mark Putnam, who began presidential duties July 1. Horizons of Opportunity gives the Central College family a unique occasion to think broadly and deeply about the college’s past and present and explore the potential range of interests that could help define the future.
