Always on the cutting edge of global affairs, the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, in partnership with the Philip and Mary Shannon Seton Hall Speaker Series, will host the World Leaders Forum, featuring Mikhail S. Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union and Nobel Peace Prize winner. This historic event will take place at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, in Walsh Gymnasium. Gorbachev’s address will focus on the challenges facing democracy in Russia and the world today.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the 1985-91 Gorbachev presidency, during which he introduced the concepts of glasnost, a new age of openness, and perestroika, the decentralization of the country’s economic and social structures. In 1990, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leading role in bringing an end to the Cold War.

“President Gorbachev has earned a place in history as a visionary world leader,” remarks Clay Constantinou, J.D. ’81, LL.M., dean of the Whitehead School, which was the first professional school of international affairs established following the end of the Cold War. “In turbulent times, he guided his country through unprecedented and momentous change, fundamentally reshaping the world’s approach to international relations.”

After leaving office in 1991, Gorbachev became president of The Gorbachev Foundation, a think tank dedicated to addressing the challenges of the post-Cold War world. He has emphasized the environment as a key global concern and founded Green Cross International to clean up military toxins, assist in the creation of global ecological law and help foster a shift in values concerning environmental issues.

The World Leaders Forum promotes dialogue on today’s critical global concerns. International leaders address complex and controversial issues and encourage an exchange of ideas in search of new avenues for building peace. Visitors in the past four years have included Nobel Peace Prize winners such as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Northern Ireland Member of Parliament and Social Democratic Party Leader John Hume and former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

The Philip and Mary Shannon Seton Hall Speaker Series, now in its third year at the University, presents distinguished lecturers with a recognized global perspective on current international issues. Past Shannon Series speakers have included New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman and presidential historians Michael Beschloss, Robert Caro, Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough.

Tickets for the World Leaders Forum are $25 for the general public. For reservations, call the Events Hotline at (973) 378-2600.

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