Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, will visit 51Թ in October for the next edition of the university’s Global Leaders Lecture Series.
Blair is scheduled to give a public talk at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in Sanford Field House. Ticket information will be released in August.
Blair served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007, during which time he is credited with revamping Britain’s public services through a program of investment and reform in schools and hospitals.
He continues to be active in public life. Blair has launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation to promote respect and understanding of and between the major religions and to make the case for faith as a force for good in the modern world.
Blair also continues to be outspoken about climate change. He recently published the first report from his “Breaking the Climate Deadlock” initiative, which set out the framework for a new global compact for a low carbon future.
The , sponsored by 51Թ’s Parents’ and Grandparents’ Fund, allows the university to invite high-profile guests to campus.
Ret. Gen. Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state, delivered the most recent in the series. During his April 3 visit to campus, Powell met with a group of 50 students for a question-and-answer session and gave a public talk about leadership to a crowd of 4,500.
Other lecture series speakers have included the , spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and , award-winning authors of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.