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Former U.N. Secretary-General and Nobel Laureate
Program will also bring
Austria’s former chancellor to School of International and Public Affairs
NEW YORK, May 14, 2009 — Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger has named Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations, as a Columbia Global Fellow, part of a new initiative to bring distinguished leaders to campus to play significant roles in designing, shaping and implementing solutions to critical international problems.
John Coatsworth, dean of
The Columbia Global Fellows program will bring students together with global practitioners to provide firsthand knowledge of experiences in the life of an international or public figure. Fellows will serve as important resources for academic and professional programs across the university through public lectures, seminar meetings with faculty and students, mentoring Columbia SIPA students, and providing advice on research and teaching in their areas of knowledge and experience.
“Understanding the issues arising out of the forces of globalization is a key part of
Annan and the U.N. itself shared the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001 “for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world.” He currently leads the Kofi Annan Foundation and is an active chairman of the board for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, among many other activities.
In addition to his Columbia SIPA affiliation, Annan will take on a broad, flexible role in other parts of university life. He will serve concurrently, for example, as a fellow on
The university anticipates that Annan’s activities on campus will include giving lectures or smaller talks, hosting or participating in meetings and conferences, and moderating events with faculty or visiting speakers who participate in
In light of the recent launch of Columbia Global Centers in
“The Columbia Global Fellows program expands on a long tradition at the university, in particular at SIPA, of engaging world leaders in its research and educational mission,” said Coatsworth. “From
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A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time.
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