Wednesday, September 24, 2008

UIS to present address on "Japan and a Changing Asia"

"Japan and a Changing Asia" is the subject of a presentation beginning at 7:30 p.m., Monday, October 6, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program is free and open to the public.

The featured speaker will R. Michael Schiffer (left), program officer in Policy Analysis and Dialogue at the Stanley Foundation, where he is responsible for the Foundation's Asia programs as well as a range of other national and global security issues. Schiffer previously served as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow at the National Institute of Defense Studies in Japan and, from 1995 to 2004, he was senior national security adviser and legislative director on the staff of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Schiffer is widely published on a range of international security, political, and media issues.

The Stanley Foundation -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation -- works to promote public understanding, constructive dialogue, and cooperative action on critical international issues. The Foundation's efforts recognize the essential roles of both the policy community and the broader public in building sustainable peace.

This event is sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois and the Sister Cities Association of Springfield and is also presented as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

Upcoming ECCE programs for October include "Lawyers, 'Lawfare,' the War on Terrorism, and the Rule of Law," with law professor Steve Vladeck, on October 9; a screening and discussion of the documentary "What We Want, What We Believe" on October 13; the film "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" on October 17; and a presentation by author Roberta Senechal on October 23.

See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.

For more information about Schiffer's presentation, contact Steve Schwark, UIS professor of Political Science, at 206-6650.

For information about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or send an e-mail to speakerseries@uis.edu.