Colin Powell, Paul Krugman Lectures, Harvey Milk Tribute Highlight Community Day, Reunion and Homecoming Weekend

 

ALBANY, N.Y. (September 24, 2009) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman will visit the University at Albany for Reunion and Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 9-11, 2009, which begins with a tribute to gay activist, civil rights icon and UAlbany alum Harvey Milk.

Soldier and statesman General Powell, USA (Ret.), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Persian Gulf War and U.S. Secretary of State from 2001-2005, will give the inaugural address of the University�s World Within Reach Speaker Series. Powell will speak on "Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust & Values,� at UAlbany�s SEFCU Arena on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m.

On Friday, Oct. 9th, the University�s annual Reaching Higher, Achieving More Alumni Luncheon honors Milk (�51), the civil rights activist and first openly gay elected official in the United States whose life became the basis for both documentary and biopic Oscar-winning films. The event, to be held in the Campus Center Ballroom, features Stuart Milk, Harvey�s nephew. For nearly two decades, Stuart Milk has been a gay human rights advocate, youth advocate, and leader in workforce development. During this time, he has also served as the prime Milk family spokesperson. He was on hand at the White House on Aug. 12 to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama on behalf of his late uncle.
 
On Friday evening, the Writers Institute welcomes Krugman, a New York Times columnist and winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics. Krugman has been called �the most important political columnist in America� (Washington Monthly), and �the most celebrated economist of his generation� (The Economist). Recent bestsellers include The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 (2008), The Conscience of a Liberal (2007), and The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century (2003). Krugman�s lecture, part of the Visiting Writers Series, will be at 8 p.m. in Page Hall on the University�s downtown campus.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, friends and neighbors are welcomed back to campus for the second annual UAlbany Community Day. This series of presentations celebrates and shares with the Capital Region community the richness of the University's academics, student success and campus life. Among the features will be a special presentation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and UAlbany professor William Kennedy, as he reminisces on the first 25 years of the New York State Writers Institute. The event, co-hosted by Institute director Donald Faulkner, serves as a preview of November 16th, when the University and the Writers Institute welcomes back Governor Mario Cuomo and celebrated author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin for the main celebratory event. At 3:30 p.m., the Writers Institute will screen Gus Van Sant�s MILK, for which Sean Penn won this year�s best actor Oscar for his performance as the UAlbany alum.

Also on Saturday, the University at Albany football team takes on Duquesne. The Great Danes are looking to capture the Northeast Conference title and a bowl berth for the third consecutive year.

"We are honored to welcome General Powell -- one of the most admired and respected leaders in the Nation � to help us start UAlbany�s World Within Reach Speaker Series," said President George M. Philip. "It is also a great privilege to celebrate one UAlbany�s most remarkable alums when we look back at the life of Harvey Milk. We thank his nephew, Stuart, and all of our guests for joining us celebrate this civil rights icon. The events scheduled for Reunion and Homecoming Weekend provide us an opportunity to showcase to the community the richness of the University's academics, athletics and campus life."

Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected official from a major city in the U.S. when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk encouraged lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens to live their lives openly and to achieve social equality. Milk, as well as San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was shot and killed in 1978 by Dan White, a former city supervisor.

Also on hand will be alumni and faculty who remember Harvey Milk from his student days at the then New York State College for Teachers: Mark Berger, professor emeritus of Educational Administration and Policy Studies; Joseph Zanchelli, BA �49, MA �50, and his wife Joyce (Leavitt) Zanchelli �52; and author Joseph E. Persico �52.

The event is part of "Reaching Higher, Achieving More," an alumni campaign designed to showcase the remarkable career paths of UAlbany graduates who have had a lasting impact around the country and globe. Past featured alumni have included Judge Richard Wesley, '71, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; Maureen Baginski, '79, senior intelligence advisor; and Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Gen. Colin Powell
In his address, Gen. Powell will offer his thoughts on domestic and world affairs, leadership and a vision for tomorrow.  A man of supreme intelligence, versatility and presence, Gen. Powell served as the first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was appointed secretary of state by President George W. Bush - becoming, at that time, the most powerful African-American ever to hold office.

A four-star general, Gen. Powell's numerous awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom and he is the author of his best-selling autobiography, My American Journey. As someone who crafted and articulated the U.S. position on the world stage, Powell provides insight on efforts to stabilize a troubled world and the diplomatic and leadership skills needed to transform unstable regions into areas where societies and cultures flourish.

One of the 21st century's most fervent purveyors of democratic values, General Colin Powell understands the power of diplomacy and the universal human ideal of democracy to build trust and transform once-unstable regions into areas where societies and cultures prosper. As well, he understands that the power of persuasion, reason and building trust are immeasurably effective in getting governments to cooperate for the overall common good of their people and the rest of the world. In a compelling presentation filled with humor and anecdotes from years of service at the highest levels of international affairs, Powell, former U.S. secretary of state, describes the delicate process of forging alliances, bringing people and countries together, and promoting universal human ideals of democracy and peace around the world.

Paul Krugman
A professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University and Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, Paul Krugman is the bestselling author or editor of 25 books on economics for both general and academic audiences.

His most recent book is The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 (2008), a substantially updated and expanded edition of an earlier book on the same subject published in 1999. Widely regarded as a prescient analysis of unregulated bubble behavior in financial markets, the original book presented the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and the Latin American financial crisis of 1998 as cautionary tales for the future of world markets. The updated edition demonstrates how the failure of market regulation permitted a similar, but much larger crisis to occur here in the United States and in the world at large. Krugman also offers a prescription for containing the crisis and preventing economic disaster.

Recent bestsellers by Krugman have included The Conscience of a Liberal (October 2007), The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century (2003), and Fuzzy Math: The Essential Guide to the Bush Tax Plan (2001).

Krugman received the Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to international trade theory, specifically the dynamics of trade between industrialized countries which, he argues, is driven by consumer preference for a diverse choice of brands, and by the benefits derived by producers from ever-expanding "economies of scale." Krugman first began to articulate these ideas in a 1979 paper that was published in the Journal of International Economics.

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