September 20, 2004

FORMER PRESIDENT OF IRELAND MARY ROBINSON SPEAKS OCT. 19 AT BOISE STATE AS PART OF DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, will speak at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom at Boise State University as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. Robinson’s lecture, “Social Responsibility and Ethical Globalization,” is free and the public is invited. No tickets will be issued; seating is limited and is available on a first-come basis. A short performance by the Murray School of Irish Dancing will open the program. Free parking for the lecture is available at the Student Union visitor lot, the Bronco Stadium lot and on Bronco Lane. “Mary Robinson has long been a leader in the quest for universal respect of human rights and freedoms,” said Helen Lojek, chair of the Distinguished Lecture Series committee and a professor of English. “Her lecture topic is particularly timely, and we’re pleased to be able to bring her to Boise.” As a practicing lawyer in Dublin, Robinson argued landmark cases, including her successful fight for the right of Irish women to contraception in the 1970s. Robinson was also involved in efforts to decriminalize gay male sexual behavior in her homeland, which finally occurred with the passage of the Sexual Offenses Act in 1993. Robinson served as president of Ireland from 1990-1997 and was the first female elected to that office. She elevated what was a figurehead role into a means of highlighting the needs of the disadvantaged and of raising Ireland’s international profile. Robinson was the first head of state to visit Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. She was also the first head of state to visit Somalia following its 1992 crisis, and was honored with the CARE Humanitarian Award for her efforts in that country. Robinson resigned her presidency only three months short of finishing her term in 1997 to assume the role as United Nations high commissioner for human rights, a post she held until 2002. Now based in New York City, Robinson is leading a new project, the Ethical Globalization Initiative, supported by a partnership of the Aspen Institute, the State of the World Forum and the Swiss-based International Council on Human Rights Policy. Robinson is capitalizing on her considerable human rights experience to promote fair and ethical globalization through this organization. The student-funded Distinguished Lecture Series brings to campus speakers who have had significant impact in politics, the arts or the sciences. On March 15, 2005, the lecture series will  feature internationally renowned conductor and musicologist Christopher Hogwood. More information on the Distinguished Lecture Series is available at http://news.boisestate.edu/dls/ -30- Contact: Helen Lojek, Department of English, (208) 426-1328, hlojek@boisestate.edu   Media Contact: Janelle Brown, communications and marketing, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu