PULLMAN, Wash. – Former U.S. Ambassador to Moldova and WSU Vice President for International Programs Asif Chaudhry will discuss the “Global Impacts of Education” at the next Common Reading Program event, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, in CUE 203. This event is free and open to the public.
Chaudhry will focus on Pakistan for his presentation. The lecture will begin with a glimpse into his childhood there, and follow with a facilitated discussion on current issues in that country.
The current common reading book, I Am Malala, presents issues about the country, its culture, educational system and gender politics.
Chaudhry presentation and discussion offer an opportunity to gain an insider’s perspective and ask questions, said Karen Weathermon, WSU Common Reading Program co-director.
WSU alumnus Chaudhry graduated from WSU in 1988 with a doctorate in agricultural economics. He built a career in the U.S. Foreign Service that covered more than 20 years. He was minister counselor for agricultural affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, in charge of overseeing trade relations with multiple Middle Eastern countries. He served as ambassador to Moldova from 2008 to 2011, and has held positions at the U.S. embassies in Poland and Russia. Chaudhry returned to WSU in 2015 to accept his current position with WSU International Programs.
The Common Reading Program began in Pullman in 2007 to help students, their teachers, and the community better engage in academically centered critical thinking, communication, research, and learning around a body of shared information presented in a single, specially selected book. This year, I Am Malala helped students explore a theme of “leadership and social justice.”
The next two-year theme for the program is “frontiers of technology, health and society.” The 2017-18 Common Reading book, Ready Player One, aligns with this theme and is the first-ever fiction novel selected in program. The book will be used by first-year and other students in Pullman, Tri-Cities, Spokane and Everett, as well as the Global Campus. WSU Vancouver will use the novel Spare Parts for their 2017-18 Common Reading book. For more information about the Common Reading and upcoming events visit CommonReading.wsu.edu.
Contact:
- Karen Weathermon, Common Reading Program co-director, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-5488, kweathermon@wsu.edu
- Emma Epperly, Communications and Marketing Assistant, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-9458, emmaepperly@wsu.edu