CHAMPAIGN, Ill. “Europe in the 21st Century New Fears, New Alliances” is the theme of a lunch-hour lecture series the University of Illinois at Urbana is presenting in Chicago beginning Jan. 30.
“The Distinguished Faculty and Alumni International Lecture Series: 2002,” sponsored by the UI’s European Union Center, will feature talks by UI professors and alumni, and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month through April in the Michigan Room of the University Club, 76 E. Monroe St.
Geoffrey J.D. Hewings opens the series with his talk on “The Midwest’s Role in the Economy of the European Union.” Hewings is director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory at the UI/Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and serves on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission. His research interests include urban and regional economic analysis, with a focus on designing regional economic models.
Subsequent dates, speakers and topics include:
o Feb. 27, law professor Jay Kesan: “Intellectual Property Law: Global Challenges.” Kesan, a registered patent attorney, also has a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering and published numerous scientific papers and obtained worldwide patents while working as a research scientist at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. At the UI, he teaches courses on intellectual property law, and regulation of cyberspace and science.
o March 27, The Hon. Paul R. Smith, deputy chief of mission, U.S. Embassy, Moscow: “Russia’s Critical Role in Expanding European Union.” Smith, a UI alumnus, is a career diplomat who formerly served as consul general in St. Petersburg, Russia, and has held posts in Bonn, East Berlin, Kiev, Moscow and Warsaw.
o April 24, Richard L. Jaehne, the director of the Fire Service Institute at the UI and the state’s director of fire service training: “NATO: Its New Relevance in International Security.” Jaehne, who also serves on the Governor’s Terrorism Task Force, worked in international security for nearly three decades before coming to Illinois. During that time, he served as acting director of Marine Corps Operations and served twice in European NATO Commands, in Latin America and Asia, and was commandant of the NATO School in Germany.
The UI’s European Union Center is one of 15 such centers established by the European Union Commission in 1998 to promote the study of the European Union, its institutions, policies and E.U.-U.S. relations. The faculty associated with the center come from departments and disciplines across campus, making it one of the most comprehensive centers of its kind in the nation.
Co-sponsors of the lecture series are the UI Alumni Association, Office of Continuing Education, International Trade Center, Center for International Business Education and Research, International Programs and Studies, and International Engagement and Protocol.
The registration fee for the series is $140, or $35 per event, which includes lunch. The deadline for registering is one week prior to each lecture-luncheon. To register, or for more information, call (217) 333-1993 or e-mail a-ramsey@illinois.edu.
