This year, Valentine's Day at Miami University will be about more than Cupid and flowers, as former President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski will be speaking about his experiences as a world leader who helped his country transition from communism to democracy.
Kwasniewski served two consecutive terms as president of Poland from 1995 to 2005. Since stepping down, he has traveled the world giving lectures about his experiences as president. His remarks will touch on many different topics including politics, public policy, history and economics.
Marek Dollar, dean of the School for Engineering and Applied Sciences and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland for the state of Ohio, feels that it will be beneficial to hear about Europe's changes from someone who had a major role in their realization.
"When we talk about transformation we talk about post-Communism and moving towards a free economy," Dollar said. "(Kwasniewski) was instrumental and a major voice in this transformation. Joining NATO and the European Union happened on his watch."
The Richard T. Farmer School of Business, which is co-sponsoring the lecture with the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Poland and the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, also has a vested interest in the former president of Poland.
Alan Oak, assistant dean for external relations in the school of business, said that Kwasniewski's visit is in line with both the university's and business school's push for students to think and learn internationally.
"We are placing a substantial amount of interest in our curriculum to gain a broader, global perspective," Oak said. "I think for Miami, it's an opportunity for our students to engage with a world leader." Dollar agreed.
"I think the ability to interact with a political figure of this caliber is a great opportunity," Dollar said. "I think altogether this will be very interesting and that this caliber of speaker will increase understanding that we are growing towards a global community."
Though Kwasniewski's lecture is an opportunity for students to learn from a former world leader, many Miami faculty are also looking forward to his visit.
"Many faculty members' research interests are in this part of the world and linked to Central and Eastern Europe," Dollar said. "Now they can talk to someone who may be a source of very interesting information and a different perspective."
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
At the lecture, Miami President David Hodge will be presenting Kwasniewski with the Miami University Presidential Medal.
Richard Little, senior director of university communications, said that receiving this medal is a very selective honor.
"The Presidential Medal is given at the discretion of the university president, very selectively, to people who have had a dramatic impact on the state, the nation, and the world," Little said.
Kwasniewski will become the second president of Poland to receive this honor. Lech Walesa, the president who preceded Kwasniewski in office, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and helped lay a foundation for democracy in Poland. He received a Presidential Medal in 1999 from former Miami President James Garland.
Over the course of two days, Kwasniewski will be visiting a class in the business school, meeting with faculty from the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, and attending breakfast with faculty from the business school. Appearances in other classes have yet to be finalized.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.