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SATURDAY: Lugar address open to public

Longtime senator will discuss international challenges facing U.S.

Lugar Symposium

As foreign policy becomes a leading issue in the 2016 presidential race, one of America’s most respected voices on international affairs returns to the University of Indianapolis to share his insights on current tensions around the world.

Former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar will deliver the keynote address Saturday at the 39th annual Lugar Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders, presented by UIndy’s Richard G. Lugar Academy. The event will draw more than 400 select high school juniors from throughout the state for a morning program and afternoon group discussion sessions on pressing public issues.

For the first time, the 10 a.m. opening program – including Lugar’s address, which he has often cited as his most important annual public speech – will be open free to the general public. This year, the statesman plans to focus his talk on the challenges facing the United States in the Middle East, our relations with Russia and China, and concerns about information security and cyberwarfare.

Seating is limited, and attendees are asked to register in advance at:
uindylugarsymposium.eventbrite.com.

After two terms as mayor of Indianapolis, Lugar served 36 years in the U.S. Senate, a tenure that included chairing the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. In 1991, he co-authored the landmark Nunn-Lugar Act, which deactivated more than 7,600 nuclear warheads in the former Soviet Union.

He now is president of The Lugar Center, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that convenes experts and sponsors research on issues including global food and energy security, WMD nonproliferation, bipartisan governance and the effectiveness of international development aid programs.

Saturday’s program also will include the presentation of this year’s Richard G. Lugar Distinguished Student Leadership Award to Franklin Central High School senior Jasmine Kalia. The award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize, recognizes one Indiana high school senior each year for leadership and community service activities.

Richard G. Lugar Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders
Opening program and keynote address by former Sen. Richard Lugar
10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015
Ransburg Auditorium, University of Indianapolis, 1400 E. Hanna Ave.
Admission: Free
Registration required: uindylugarsymposium.eventbrite.com