Former president of Mexico to speak at Landmark Theatre

Former president of Mexico to speak at Landmark TheatreOctober 01, 2007Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

The Syracuse University Student Association, University Union and the New York Public Interest Research Group are sponsoring a public lecture by Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, Monday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. at the Landmark Theatre, a Connective Corridor partner in downtown Syracuse.

Tickets will be available to undergraduate and graduate students with valid SU or SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry I.D. for $8. Student pre-sale, at the box office in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center, will take place from Thursday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. through Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m., or until pre-sale tickets are no longer available. After student pre-sale, a limited number of tickets will be made available to faculty, staff and the general public starting Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. Faculty and staff with I.D. will pay $15 per ticket; the price for the general public is $25. Ticket purchases will be limited to four per person; tickets will be for assigned seating on a first-come, first-served basis. The Schine Box Office can be reached at (315) 443-4517.

The night of the event, shuttle bus transportation will be provided for students, departing from the University Place entrance of the Schine Student Center starting at 6 p.m., with continuous service until the start of the lecture. Shuttles will also be available after the event, with the last bus departing the Landmark bound for the Schine Student Center at about 10:45 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.universityunion.org.

“I am thrilled President Fox will be speaking to the Syracuse University community,” says Student Association President Ryan Kelly. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to gain a new perspective about international politics from a renowned world leader.”

Fox will speak about the international political scene, including globalization, the role of the United Nations in the international community, and relations between the United States and Latin America. A question-and-answer session will follow the lecture.

“This event represents a phenomenal opportunity for student organizations to collaborate in bringing a visionary leader to our campus,” says University Union President Adam Scharfberg. “I am very eager to hear President Fox’s thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing Latin America today and the effect they have on the rest of the world.”

Fox has written an autobiography titled “Revolution of Hope: The Life, Faith, and Dreams of a Mexican President” (Viking Adult) published this month. The Syracuse University Bookstore will stock Fox’s autobiography for students, faculty and staff to purchase before the event.

Fox studied at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City and took classes through the Harvard University Business School. In 1964, he started working as a truck driver for the Coca-Cola Co. and over the years rose within the company to ultimately become president of Coca-Cola for Mexico and Latin America.

A member of the National Action Party, Fox was elected governor of Guanajuato in 1995. He was elected president of Mexico in 2000 and made economic reform a top priority while in office. He served as president until 2006.

About the sponsors:

• University Union is a recognized student organization that provides large-scale programming for SU and SUNY-ESF undergraduate students.

• Founded in 1956, the Student Association is the primary governing, advocacy and programming organization for undergraduate students at SU and SUNY-ESF. For more information, visit http://students.syr.edu/sa/index.html.

• The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is New York’s largest student-directed consumer, environmental and government reform organization. NYPIRG is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group established to effect policy reforms while training students and other New Yorkers to be advocates.