[088] Visiting Scholar Offers Insights On 'Cuba At A Crossroads'

VISTING SCHOLAR OFFERS INSIGHTS ON ‘CUBA AT A CROSSROADS’
González Set for Sept. 27 Lecture at MTSU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Richard Morris, rmorris@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2284

(MURFREESBORO)—Visiting Cuban scholar Rodrigo González will tackle a timely topic on Monday, Sept. 27, with a special MTSU lecture, “Cuba at a Crossroads,” aimed at spawning local interest in our Caribbean neighbor.

The next day, González will kick off the first of several planned campus meetings on educational exchanges between MTSU and the University of Havana with discussions planned especially for students and faculty.

Formerly the director of Cuba programs for Global Exchange Inc. and the current Cuba program director for Girasol, a nonprofit study-abroad project based in San Francisco, González will speak Sept. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. in Cantrell Hall in the Tom H. Jackson Building on campus.

That lecture and discussion, which is open to the campus community and the public, will be followed by a catered reception.

"In his lecture, González will explore the turbulent waters of U.S.-Cuban relations and discuss where Cuba is today, politically, socially and economically,” said Dr. Richard Morris, professor of Spanish and linguistics and adviser for linguistic studies in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

“He will also address the challenges Cuba faces in the 52nd year of its Marxist revolution. We hope that his talk will spawn interest in Cuba within the MTSU community in a spirit of congenial, forward-minded engagement and exchange."

González, a native of Cuba who lives in Havana, has been active in research, consulting and coordinating exchange programs in Cuba for 18 years and also is now a researcher for Proyecto Espiral, a youth organization affiliated with the Cuban Ministry of Culture. Since 2000, his research has focused primarily on U.S.-Cuba relations, social and environmental development in Cuba, and coordinating academic and educational programs for U.S. universities and colleges.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, González will lead a pair of “Study Abroad in Cuba” meetings in Room S-128 of the Business and Aerospace Building. The first session, set for 4:15 to 5 p.m., is especially for students, while the 5-5:30 p.m. meeting is geared toward faculty.

“Mr. González will be speaking to faculty and students about what programs are currently possible and what programs may be possible in the near future, if certain political changes initiated under the Obama Administration continue,” said Morris. “Bring your questions and get the scoop on some exciting opportunities. Graduate students are especially encouraged to attend.”

González’s visit is sponsored by MTSU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Political Science, the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and the Department of Psychology.

For more information about the Sept. 27 lecture and Sept. 28 meetings, contact Morris at 615-898-2284 or rmorris@mtsu.edu.

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IN BRIEF: Visiting Cuban scholar Rodrigo González will tackle a timely topic on Monday, Sept. 27, with a special MTSU lecture, “Cuba at a Crossroads,” aimed at spawning local interest in our Caribbean neighbor. The next day, González will kick off the first of several planned campus meetings on educational exchanges between MTSU and the University of Havana with discussions planned especially for students and faculty. His free public lecture is set from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 27 in Cantrell Hall in the Tom H. Jackson Building on campus and will be followed by a catered reception. For more information about this special lecture, contact Dr. Richard Morris, professor of Spanish and linguistics and adviser for linguistic studies in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, at 615-898-2284 or rmorris@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. This fall, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.

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NOTE: Media needing a color JPEG of González should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs before 3 p.m. via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385 Thanks!