Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice To Speak At Georgia Southern University

April 30, 2009

Former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will speak at Georgia Southern University on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The campus location of the event will be announced at a later date.

Rice served as United States secretary of state from January 2005 to 2009. Prior to her position as America’s chief diplomat, she served as national security advisor from January 2001 to 2005. Rice will speak on the topic of leadership.

‘We believe one of the best ways to teach our students about leadership is to give them the chance to hear from people who have dealt first-hand with the pressures and rewards of leadership positions,” said Teresa Thompson, Georgia Southern University vice president of student affairs and enrollment management. ‘I think this is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn from someone of Dr. Rice’s caliber. As someone who served as provost of Stanford University and then went on to become the first female African-American secretary of state, she has insight that few others can offer. I hope thousands of our students will take advantage of this tremendous opportunity.”

Rice is now the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution and professor of political science at Stanford University. She also serves as a member of the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, she is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Rice joined the Stanford University faculty as a professor of political science in 1981 and served as Stanford University’s provost from 1993 to 1999. She was a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution from 1991 to 1993 and returned to the Hoover Institution after serving as provost until 2001. As a professor, Rice won two of the highest teaching honors: the 1984 Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 1993 School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. Rice has also authored and coauthored several books.

Rice’s visit to Georgia Southern University is sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students.Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.