Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders Opens at UVI

The University of the Virgin Islands 14th Annual Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders opened on May 15, with former U.S. Ambassador Terence A. Todman giving the keynote address to the 37 students from colleges and universities across the Caribbean and the United States. Todman, a career diplomat who has served in six countries as a U.S. ambassador, discussed a wide range of issues at the ceremony. His speech addressed issues such as foreign policy, leadership, communication and preparedness.

Public Invited
to World Forum

The Virgin Islands public is invited to attend the Summer Institute's World Forum Debate from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, at UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts.

The two-week institute aims to prepare university juniors, seniors and first-year graduate students for global leadership roles.

The theme for this year's institute is, "Global Leadership in an Era of Climate Change." Dr. Solomon Kabuka, a UVI professor and director of the institute, said the theme is timely given the concern about the future of human civilization in light of the destructive impact of human activities on the environment. Dr. Kabuka said the matter of global climate change should not be left up to governments alone. Businesses, universities, community organizations and families should all play a part in preserving the environment, he said. The theme will sensitize students to the issues of climate change and prepare them to manage activities as they relate to the global environment.

The opening ceremony is just one of a series of lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions and forums in which the student leaders will participate. The forums, which are highlights of the institute, address current global issues. The public is invited to attend the World Forum Debate, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, at the Reichhold Center for the Arts.

During the institute they will also attend field trips to the V.I. Superior Court, the Legislature and Government House. At the end of the institute, students will present a global leadership prospectus.

For more information call the office of the Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders at 693-1309.