Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 26, 2001 - U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., will address the national and international impacts of the war on terrorism as part of the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He will also join a discussion with experts from three University of Nebraska campuses in the 2 p.m. Nov. 2 forum at UNL's Kimball Recital Hall, 11th and R streets.
"I am delighted Sen. Hagel has chosen to address this important subject at the university," said Dennis Smith, NU president. "I am proud that experts from the University of Nebraska continue to be called upon by national and state officials for their expertise during this war on terrorism."
Hagel will open the forum with a 30-minute speech, "The World Redefined." He will then join two University of Nebraska at Omaha experts on Afghanistan, a medical specialist from University of Nebraska Medical Center and an expert on political security from UNL to discuss the impacts and consequences of the terrorist attacks on America.
Hagel will give a major speech that will describe "a new seriousness of purpose" for America. He will lay out three stages the United States and the world will move through in shaping national and international policy in a world forever changed by terrorism. Hagel will also discuss the personal impact the attacks have had on every American's values and priorities.
Following his speech, Hagel will join panel members for discussion. Harvey Perlman, UNL chancellor, will moderate the two-hour forum with time allowed for audience questions. Panel members are Dr. Steven Hinrichs, UNMC, Patrice McMahon, assistant professor of political science at UNL, Thomas Gouttierre, dean of international programs and director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at UNO, and Peter Tomsen, former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and now visiting ambassador in residence with the Center for Afghanistan Studies.
Due to security concerns, the university will not allow backpacks, book bags or other large parcels into Kimball Hall. No storage is available in the building. Handbags and other items may be subject to search.
The forum is free and open to the public. Doors open at 1 p.m. Seating is first-come, first-served. Because seating is limited, a live video feed will be provided in the Nebraska Union's Georgian Suite. The forum will also be broadcast live on UNL's internal TV system, campus Channel 4, Lincoln community access Channel 21 and KRNU radio (90.3 FM). It can be viewed at the following locations via NebSat Channel 104: Learning Centers in Scottsbluff, Norfolk, Grand Island and North Platte, UNK Communications Center room 101, UNMC College of Nursing room 1010, UNO Eppley Auditorium. It also will be streamed on the Internet (http://www.unl.edu).
Hagel was elected to the Senate in 1996 and is the third-ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. He is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs and on the Banking Committee he serves as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance. Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland recently called Hagel "a leading internationalist Republican voice in the Senate."
Gouttierre has extensive experience in Afghanistan. Prior to assuming his present position in 1974, he lived and worked for nearly 10 years in Afghanistan as a Peace Corps volunteer, a Fulbright fellow, and as executive director of the Fulbright Foundation. Gouttierre served on the United Nations peacekeeping mission to Afghanistan in the capacity of senior political affairs officer in the winter and spring of 1996-97. He has participated in Fulbright programs in numerous countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Nepal and India. He was a member of the International Rescue Committee's Citizens Commission on Afghanistan Refugees from 1988 to 1993.
Hinrichs, a medical doctor, is director of the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory and associate professor in the department of pathology and microbiology at UNMC. In his position as laboratory director he has been responsible for developing a statewide program to rapidly identify biological agents of mass destruction. Under his direction, the laboratory was one of the first public health laboratories in the country to develop Internet-based test ordering and reporting capabilities with the goal of real-time identification of emerging epidemics.
McMahon teaches and researches international relations and international security, focusing on the former Soviet bloc. She has lived and worked in Poland, Russia, Bosnia and Thailand. In the last year, she twice visited Bosnia to study ethnic reconciliation and democracy promotion.
Tomsen was special envoy on Afghanistan with the rank of ambassador
from 1989 to 1992 for President George H.W. Bush. In this capacity, he
met many Afghan tribal leaders, commanders and ulema (Muslim scholars
trained in Islam and Islamic law) who remain active today. A career
diplomat, Tomsen has served the U.S. Department of State in a number of
foreign posts. He teaches courses in American foreign policy and Eurasia
at UNO's Center for Afghanistan Studies and is researching a book on
Afghanistan.
For questions regarding these releases, contact:
tsimons1@unl.edu
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825