Nobel Laureate speaks

Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and a Nobel Peace Laureate, will address Grand Valley State University faculty members at a conference to kick off the 2002-03 academic year.

Arias' speech will coincide with the theme of the conference, 'Can the Center Hold? Terrorism, Globalization, and the Value of Liberal Learning.' Sponsored by Grand Valley's Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center, the conference is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21, with Arias' speech beginning at 9 a.m. in Padnos Hall on the Allendale Campus.

Arias holds international stature as a spokesman for the Third World. By championing issues like human development, democracy, and demilitarization, he has traveled around the world to discuss, among other topics, applying lessons from the Central American Peace Process to topics of current global debate.

He was elected president of Costa Rica in 1986 after serving in Congress and as secretary-general of the National Liberation Party. Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1987 for drafting a peace plan that was signed by all Central American presidents. He used the Nobel Peace prize monetary award to establish the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress.