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International Lecture Series

In addition to the Royal D. Alworth, Jr. Memorial Lecture, forums and conferences, the Institute provides a series of international lectures by local, national and international authorities on subjects of timely interest. The Alworth Institute draws not only upon the rich store of local academics with expertise in a variety of areas, but also visiting international faculty.

Fall 2012 International Lecture Series

Higher Education in Iraqi Kurdistan
Presented by Prof. Dr. Mohammed Ali Abdulla, President, University of Raparin, Sulaimani-Rania, Iraq
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 -12:00 p.m. - Griggs Center, KSC, UMD

Professor Abdulla is a 1984 graduate of London University, Chelsea College, in the Department of Chemistry. After graduation, he served as a lecturer and head of the Chemistry Department at the University of Salahaddin in Erbil-Kurdistan. He was Dean of the College of Science at the University of Sulaimani from 1994 to 2004, and Dean of the College of Pharmacy from 2008-2010. He is now the President of the University of Raparin. He will discuss the challenges of providing higher education at this new university.

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A Potential Solution to Poverty in African Villages by NRRI-UMD Technology 
Presented by Dr. Donald Fosnacht, Director, Center for Applied Research and Technology Development, NRRI; Ismaila Oumar Kane, Minister of Rural Development, Islamic Republic of Mauritania; and, Peter P. Strzok, Founder and President, Agency to Facilitate the Growth of Rural Organizations (AFGRO).
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – Montague Hall 70, UMD
(Co-sponsored by NRRI and AFGRO)

Dr. Fosnacht and NRRI, in collaboration with AGRO, is working on a new method of eradicating typha australis, a weed that is clogging the waterways of West Africa. At UMD's Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory they are creating a product from the plant that can be used as fuel by local villagers in Mauritania. The presenters will explain the typha problem and its environmental and societal impact, then describe the implications of the product to meet the local societies needs for fuel and an improved quality of life.

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In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis,

Dr. Joseph Maiolo, Professor, UMD English Department, will offer a reading of his book,

My Turkish Missile Crisis: A Memoir from the Frontline of October 1962
Books will be sold at the event.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – Weber Hall, UMD

In October 1962, Air Force Lieutenant Joseph Maiolo, having been assigned to a six-months' nuclear-weapons maintenance training course two years before, arrived for duty at Cigli Air Base in western Turkey during the first days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was immediately informed that he would be in charge of the nuclear warheads for fifteen Jupiter missiles located 150 miles of the Russian border. While the crisis seemed to play out between Cuba, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Dr. Maiolo dramatizes the "other story" taking place in Turkey in his compelling and frightening account of his experiences on the frontline of the Cold War and illustrates how close we came to a global catastrophe.

Dr. Maiolo will also answer questions about his book on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - 7:00 PM - Griggs Center, UMD

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American Diplomacy & the 2012 Election
Presented by Thomas Hanson, Alworth Institute Diplomat in Residence, and Dr. Paul Sharp, Professor, UMD Political Science Department
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - 7:00 p.m. - Library 4th Floor Rotunda, UMD

Dr. Paul Sharp co-edited the book, American Diplomacy, to which both he and Thomas Hanson contributed. They will examine the questions raised in their work concerning the Obama administrations efforts to revive American diplomacy. They argue that the effectiveness of diplomacy has been undervalued in the United States by governments, the foreign policy community, and academics They will discuss how American diplomacy may be strengthened in the interests of international peace and security, whether under a second term Obama presidency or a Romney administration.

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The Alworth Institute's year-long focus on on Comparative Healthcare Systems continues with

The Dutch Healthcare System: A Model for the U.S.?
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Schultz, UMD Department of Economics & Director of the Health Care Management Program, and Dr. Kim Dauner, UMD Management Studies & Health Care Management Program
Wednesday, November 7, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – Montague Hall 70, UMD
 
Since its overhaul in 2006, the healthcare system of the Netherlands has been judged as one of the best models in Europe and the world. The Dutch system requires universal health care through the purchase of insurance from competitive \for-profit or non-profit private insurers that are nonetheless, tightly regulated by the federal government. In the summer of 2012, Drs. Schultz and Dauner traveled to the Netherlands on a study tour of this healthcare system. They will describe the Dutch model and discuss its potential viability for the U.S.

This event is co-sponsored by the UMD College of Liberal Arts, UMD's Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth, and UMD's Women's Resource and Action Center.

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David Cameron: Political Lightweight or Serious Contender
Presented by Dr. William Henderson, Alworth Institute International Associate
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – Library 4th Floor Rotunda, UMD

Dr. Henderson will examine the successes and failures of U.K. Prime Minister, David Cameron, and raise questions on the (compromised?) nature of the premiership within the framework of coalition politics. He will discuss his rivals in the Tory Party and the trouble with the Conservative Party's right wing. He will look at the major political issues including those emerging from continental Europe. Dr. Henderson will examine these questions in this presentation. For more information on Dr. Henderson go to http://www.d.umn.edu/alworth/faculty_staff/william_henderson.php

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International Lecture Archives