Kenneth Bacon, former Pentagon spokesman under the Clinton administration and president of Refugees International, will present the keynote address for Gettysburg College's 2002--2003 Area Studies Symposium, "Cultures of War and Peace."
The symposium's theme is particularly timely, according to Jan Powers, associate professor of global studies who coordinates the annual program of lectures, performances and films. "As a result of our symposium, we hope that students will appreciate the fact that peace building requires just as much strategy and planning as war," she said.
Bacon will discuss "Violent Youth: The Curse of Child Soldiers" at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 5, in Room 260 of the College Union Building. His talk is open to the public free of charge.
Prior to his work with Refugees International -- an advocate for humanitarian action that monitors conditions of refugees and displaced peoples around the world -- Bacon served as assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Defense, advising the Secretary of Defense and other top officials on public affairs strategy. He also served as Pentagon spokesman and managed a large internal communications operation for the U.S. military.
Bacon was a reporter and editor columnist for the "Wall Street Journal" from 1969 through 1994, concentrating on defense, banking, economics and international finance. He received a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and two master's degrees from Columbia University.
"Cultures of War and Peace" will also include a Sept. 26 talk by Coleman McCarthy of the Center for Teaching Peace, "Non-Violence in a Time of War"; an Oct. 19 talk by Rajmohan Ramanathapillai, distinguished visiting professor at Gettysburg College, "Religion, Ecology, and War"; Nov. 7 talk by Martin Cook, chaplain at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, "The Just War: Implications for War Against Terrorism": a Jan. 23 talk by Rev. John Dear, a Jesuit theologian and peace activist, "Disarming the Heart, Disarming the World"; a Feb. 20 talk by Talila Kosh Zohar of New Profile in Israel, "Becoming a Peace Activist in Israel"; a March 30 talk by Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness, "If You Follow Your Conscience, Where Will It Lead You?"; and an April 10 talk by Bernard Lafayette of the University of Rhode Island, "In Search of the Beloved Community." More information on Area Studies events will be available at http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/global_studies/brochure.htm.
Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a student body of about 2,400 that is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park. The college was founded in 1832.
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