EDUCAUSE '99 General Session

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Speakers 

Colin Powell
Wednesday 8:15 - 9:45 a.m.
Presented by

A professional soldier for 35 years, General Colin L. Powell held a number of command and staff positions which led him to the highest military position in the Department of Defense, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. His leadership, from 1989 to 1993, included overseeing Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

In 1997, Powell chaired the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia. Since then he has been serving as chairman of America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth, the national campaign on behalf of the nation's young people that was launched at the Summit. Powell is the recipient of many U.S. military awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. He has been decorated by the governments of Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Powell is also the recipient of numerous civilian awards, including two Presidential Merits of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. He is the recipient of an honorary knighthood bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

Powell's best-selling autobiography, My American Journey, chronicles his life from his birth to immigrant Jamaican parents in Harlem to his role in advising Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.

Rita Colwell
Thursday 9:45 - 11:15 a.m.

(RealVideo -- 56k)
Sponsored by MCIWorldcom

Rita Rossi Colwell is director of the National Science Foundation, an independent agency of the Federal Government that provides support for research and education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Prior to becoming NSF director in 1998, Colwell served as president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute since 1991 and professor of Microbiology at the University of Maryland since 1972. While at the University of Maryland, Colwell also served as director of the Sea Grant College, acting director of the Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies, and vice president for Academic Affairs.

Colwell has held numerous advisory positions in the U.S. Government and private foundations, as well as in the international community. A nationally respected scientist and educator, Colwell has authored or co-authored 16 books and more than 500 scientific publications, and she has served on editorial boards for a variety of journals. She produced the award-winning film Invisible Seas. Colwell has been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards, including the Medal of Distinction from Columbia University and the Andrew White Medal from Loyola College.

Colwell currently chairs the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology. She has served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Microbiology, the Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, and the International Union of Microbiological Societies.

Barry Munitz
Friday 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

(RealVideo -- 56k)
Sponsored by SCT

Barry Munitz is president and chief executive officer of the J. Paul Getty Trust, a private operating foundation dedicated to the visual arts and the humanities. Before his appointment to the Getty in 1997, Munitz served for six years as chancellor of the California State University, the largest system of senior higher education in the United States.

Munitz began his academic career in 1966 at the University of California, Berkeley, as an assistant professor in the dramatic arts and literature department. From 1968 to 1970 he served under former University of California President Clark Kerr at the Carnegie Foundation Commission on Higher Education. Subsequently he served as associate provost and academic vice president for the University of Illinois system. In 1976 Munitz became vice president and dean of faculties at the University of Houston-Central Campus, where he was appointed chancellor in 1977. In 1982 Munitz joined MAXXAM, Inc. as a senior executive, and he remained there until 1991.

In addition to his professional affiliations, Munitz has chaired the American Council on Education and the California Education Round Table. He also served on the Commission on National Investment in Higher Education, as well as the White House Commission "America Reads".