The Borah Symposium will host the former president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, as this year’s keynote speaker. This year’s theme is “Peace and Security in the 21st Century.”
“The theme has been designed to support the topic of the many different things he has worked on as lawyer and president of Costa Rica,” Alyson Roy, Director of Graduate Studies at the History Department, said.
Quesada is a lawyer who focuses on labor politics and international negotiations.
The Borah Symposium, started in 1948 by the Borah Foundation, is named after Senator William Borah, who focused on global peace and ending wars. Every year, the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences puts on the Borah Foundation in partnership with the Martin Institute.
“Last year when I attended, I expected to be bored out of my mind,” Elise Buxton, a sophomore who is studying international studies and Spanish and is on the Borah Symposium committee, said. “What I found was so enlightening and so insightful. I found it very hopeful for the future that there are these experts working on solving international issues.”
Roy also hopes that because Quesada is younger, he can relate more to the student’s generation.
“The average student gets their information about global crises and conflicts from a various number of sources such as news headlines or Instagram infographics,” Sadeed Ehsan, who is a freshman studying international studies and economics and who is on the Borah Symposium Committee, said. “This is such a great opportunity to get firsthand experience and learn about these issues from people who have dealt with them.”
This year the Borah Symposium will be held through Sept. 16 – 18.
Events.
Monday, Sept. 16
At 7:00 p.m. there will be a documentary screening of “Delikado” at the Kenworthy Theatre.
The film focuses on environmental movements in the Philippines.
Tuesday, Sept. 17
At 12:30 p.m. there will be a Renfrew Colloquium hosting Christopher Darnton, Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate College. The theme is: “Sustaining American Alliances” and will be held in the Vandal Ballroom in the Pitman Center.
At 7:00 p.m. there will be the Plenary Address by Ambassador Stephanie T. Williams, the former head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. This will be located in the International Ballroom of the Pitman Center.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
At 7:00 p.m. there will be the Keynote Address by President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the former president of Costa Rica. This will be held in the International Ballroom of the Pitman Center.
The opening music will be by Mario Jiménez Picado who will be playing the piano and Partick Brandl Suaraez who will be playing the bass-baritone.
“[Quesada] heard about a Costa Rican ensemble group through the Lionel Hampton School of Music, and he requested that they give a concert as part of it,” Roy said. “They will be playing the processional music coming in for his speech.”
More information about the Borah Symposium can be found here.