Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a keynote
address by Paul Kagame, president of the Republic of Rwanda, at
5:15 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16 in Rangos Ballroom, UC. President Kagame will speak
about Rwanda’s strategy for continued growth in the global economy and its
plans to become East Africa’s leader in information and communication
technology. Under President Kagame’s leadership, Rwanda has become one of the
world’s most compelling stories of economic development.
In addition, President Kagame and CMU President Jared L.
Cohon will be making an important announcement regarding the
collaborative role that Carnegie Mellon will play in helping Rwanda to realize
its vision.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 14 to govrel@andrew.cmu.edu and
indicate the number of people attending in your party. Doors open at 4 p.m. and
all attendees must be seated in Rangos Ballroom by 4:45 p.m. A partnership
ceremony will take place at 5 p.m., just prior to President Kagame’s address.
Read more: http://www.cmu.edu/event/rwanda
3 comments:
Whenever I see one of these visiting dignitary events on campus I'm just reminded of how much of a headache they make for everyone else once the security and logistics are factored in. We already got the announcement that parking and traffic will be impacted, and several rooms in the University Center will be inaccessible. Hopefully this one won't be as extreme as others have been, but the fun of the security preparations for G20 not all that long ago aren't something to forget.
Looking back at this past event as a whole, I am reminded that the presence of any leader in a large university setting is bound to cause more than a bit of a stir on the college campus. I for one was not expecting much- just heightened security and the closing of certain locations. I was not expecting a protest, and better yet, two protests happening at the same time. My dorm is in Morewood, and I heard chanting and shouting for a good couple of hours- making my afternoon a bit more exciting. Though security and loud protestors must have been a pain for some, I was actually really interested in what was going on-- and surprised but happy to see that our community was not afraid to be an active one. I'm just relieved nothing got too out of hand, the police did a good job at keeping a watchful eye on protestors but not intervening unnecessarily.
Along the same thread as Natalie and Tom, I was wondering how difficult it was to orchestrate, before, during, and after. This man is the President of Rwanda, and someone got him to hike all the way up to Pittsburgh. If I were the orchestrator, I would be so extremely irritated with the gaggles of protests. Instead of standing outside and insulting the President, it seems to me that it would be a more productive use of time to sit and listen to what he has to say, and then if you still have issues, develop them further, rather than standing around carrying signs that have no true impact other than annoying the people who have just travelled thousands of miles to talk to you.
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