麻豆影院

Former Secretary of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency Director Robert Gates will visit the CU 麻豆影院 campus Feb. 28 through听March 1, delivering a public address, spending time in the classroom听and kicking off a new speaker series aimed at inspiring and illustrating leadership.

Gates is the first speaker in a newly launched leadership speaker series run by the Newton Chair in Leadership. The position is now held by former CU President Alexander 鈥淪andy鈥� Bracken. The new Leo Hill Distinguished Leadership Speaker Series is funded by the estate of and named after a well-known 麻豆影院 banker and philanthropist.

鈥淩obert Gates served eight presidents beginning with Jimmy Carter and served as secretary of defense under two administrations of two different political parties - George W. Bush and President Obama,鈥� Bracken said. 鈥淭hat alone speaks volumes about his character and leadership skills.鈥� 听

Gates joined the CIA in 1966 as an entry-level intelligence professional and spent 27 years climbing the ranks before becoming CIA director in 1991. After a stint as president of Texas A&M University, he was named secretary of defense by President George W. Bush in 2006.

Under President Barack Obama, he became the only secretary of defense in U.S. history to have been asked to remain in the office by a newly elected president. On his last day in office, Obama awarded Gates the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the government鈥檚 highest civilian honor.

Gates has since authored three memoirs, including 鈥淒uty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War,鈥� which recounts his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan; 鈥�From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider鈥檚 Story of Five Presidents and How They Won The Cold War,鈥� which details his CIA career; and most recently 鈥�A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from 50 Years of Public Service.鈥� He also holds a PhD in Russian and Soviet history.

鈥淲e are planning to bring in speakers who are highly recognized in terms of national and global leadership, and who have had a distinguished career whatever that career field might be,鈥� said Bracken.

The series aims to bring a distinguished leader听to campus for two days each year, for a public address and informal visits with students. It鈥檚 the latest implementation of the Newton Chair鈥檚 mission to foster leadership skills in students. (A new Leadership Studies minor was established in 2012 and now hosts nearly 400 students).

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