October 13, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Teresa Hendrix
(805) 756-7266
Pat Harris
(805) 542-0452, (805) 440-4426
pat@sloevents.com
Former Congressman Leon Panetta to Open
Cal Poly’s 2005 Provocative Perspectives Series
SAN LUIS OBISPO –– Leon Panetta, former U.S. representative and chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, will come to Cal Poly on Friday, Oct. 28, to open the 2005 Provocative Perspectives speakers’ series.
Panetta, who was elected to serve the Central Coast for nine congressional terms, will speak on the topic of leadership and contemporary issues at 7:30 a.m. in the Spanos Theatre.
During his terms in Congress from 1977-1993, Panetta authored numerous measures to protect California’s coast, including creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. During the mid-1990s, as Clinton’s chief of staff, he was a key figure in creating the budget package credited with balancing the federal budget and creating a budget surplus.
His distinguished career in public service also includes working as special assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and serving as director of the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, currently co-direct the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at CSU Monterey Bay. Panetta helped establish that campus on the site of the former military base, Fort Ord. His particular interest is attracting people to lives of public service.
“We are delighted to have someone of Leon Panetta’s stature join us as the opening speaker for our series this year,” said Cornel Morton, vice president for student affairs at Cal Poly.
The event (including breakfast) is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. For more information or to make reservations, call Liz Cofer at 756-0327.
The annual Provocative Perspectives speakers’ series brings alternative voices to the Cal Poly campus. This year, Provocative Perspectives will highlight some of the difficult questions Americans face by presenting a diverse group of speakers who will share their insights with the community.
“This year’s speakers may not guarantee an answer that satisfies everyone, but we anticipate lively and civil discussions on campus and in the community as we look at important national issues,” Morton said.
In addition to Panetta’s appearance, this year’s series will feature Victor Hanson, a senior fellow with the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, political commentator and syndicated columnist whose work appears weekly in The Tribune; John Dovidio, a professor at the University of Connecticut, whose work examines “the prejudice of the well-intentioned”; Helen Zia, an Asian American journalist and scholar; and Anuruda Mittal, an internationally renowned expert on trade, development, human rights and agriculture.
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