| DR. ISMAIL SERAGELDIN, A MAJOR LEADER IN THE ARAB REFORM MOVEMENT, WILL VISIT THE HUMPHREY INSTITUTE MARCH 24 A reform movement underway in the Middle
East is aimed at recasting economic policies and political governance
in the Arab world and other Muslim nations. One of its most articulate
leaders, Ismail Serageldin, will describe the changes underway March 24
at the inaugural Freeman Lecture at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey
Institute of Public Affairs.
Serageldin, a 54-year-old Egyptian, is considered a pivotal leader in
the Arab reform movement around the world. He is director of the Library
of Alexandria (Bibliotheca Alexandrina), the historic institution reviving
the "cradle of knowledge" which Alexandria has been known for
throughout the centuries in both Western and Eastern civilizations. He
served as vice president of the World Bank prior to his current post.
The lecture is part of a two-day celebration of the dynamic role of science
and information technology in leading change in the 21st century. The
principal lecture, "Tides of Change: Reflections on Reform in the
Arab and Muslim World," will be held at noon Thursday, March 24,
in the Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Admission is $20 for the general public and $5 for high school and college
students.
Specific elements of the reformation movement including technology will
be the focus of three other lectures and symposia by Serageldin:
· 10 a.m. - noon Wednesday, March 23. Coffman Memorial Union Theatre,
East Bank. Serageldin's address titled "The Digital Future"
will look at the unique role of information and communications technology
in a global economy. Kit Hadley, director of the Minneapolis Public Libraries
will moderate the session, which is targeted to professionals in information
and communication technology, as well as community development advocates
and policymakers.
· 2:30-4 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. Cargill Building for Microbial
and Plant Genomics, Seminar Room, St. Paul Campus. This symposium titled
"Agriculture and Science Technology: a World Divided?" will
include a discussion on the international status of ag science and technology
today and how it affects food production and environmental concerns. It
will be moderated by Applied Economics Professor Phil Pardey, an expert
on international science and technology policy, economics of technical
change and international agricultural development. A public reception
will follow the discussion.
· 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. Andersen Library, West Bank. Serageldin
will host a public lecture on the Library of Alexandria titled "The
Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Past, Present and Future." The event, hosted
by University librarian Wendy Pradt Lougee, will be of special interest
to library professionals and supporters of library sciences as agents
of change in the 21st century.
The Library of Alexandria is a major academic and intellectual center
in Egypt and the Middle East. In addition to a newly built facility in
Alexandria, the Library of Alexandria system includes seven regional libraries
with information accessible by computer access.
The Freeman Forum is a new annual lecture series hosted by the University
of Minnesota in honor of Orville L. Freeman, Minnesota's first Democratic-Farmer-Labor
governor. Freeman also served as Secretary of Agriculture in the cabinets
of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
For more information on the Freeman Forum or to register for any of the
above lectures, visit www.freemanforum.org.
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