Georgia Southern University to Host Ambassadors from the African Union and Senegal

November 12, 2009

Georgia Southern University will host ambassadors from the African Union and Senegal as part of its annual International Education Week Celebration beginning Nov. 16, 2009.

The ambassadors will make presentations on campus and take part in discussions surrounding some of the most critical issues facing their countries as part of the ‘Voices of Africa Forum.” Forum events will take place throughout the day at Georgia Southern University on Nov. 16 and 17.

Ambassador Amina Salum Ali is the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States, and the first woman to hold the position. Ambassador Ali speaks on behalf of the African Union and its Member States on economic and social issues.

Amadou Lamine Ba is the Ambassador of Senegal to the United States. He is a member of the African Diplomatic Corps and of the US-African Institute, a private organization that works to foster economic, educational, and democratic partnerships between the United States and Africa.

The ambassadors will be joined on campus by Harvard University political science professor Dr. Michael C. Nwanze and Lawrence Eyong-Echaw, who is the former National Chairman for the U.S. branch of the Southern Cameroons National Council. Eyong-Echaw worked as a journalist and was a member of the opposition party in Cameroon, where he was detained by the government because of his political activities. Georgia Southern alumna Andrea Stults McIntosh, an asylum officer with the Department of Homeland Security, will discuss the political asylum process.

International Education Week is designed to promote awareness of international issues, celebrate the students from 90 countries that are now students at Georgia Southern, and to highlight opportunities for Georgia Southern students from the U.S. to study abroad. Georgia Southern University works to promote international education as a way of preparing students to live and work in a global society. A complete list of International Education Week activities at Georgia Southern University can be found by visiting http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/international/International_Week/Int_Week.htm.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving more than 19,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.