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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Former ambassador and congressman to launch IU's O'Meara Lecture series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 1, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Timothy J. Roemer, a former congressman, U.S. ambassador to India and 9/11 Commission member, will deliver the inaugural Patrick O'Meara International Lecture this month at Indiana University Bloomington.

The lecture honors Patrick O'Meara, who served Indiana University for two decades as dean and vice president for international affairs. He recently stepped down as vice president and now chairs the Center for International Education and Development Assistance at IU.

Roemer will speak on "India: Geopolitical, Economic and Strategic Partner for the 21st Century" on Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. in Whittenberger Auditorium at the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"Throughout his long and distinguished career, Patrick O'Meara has worked tirelessly and effectively to support the global mission of Indiana University," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "This lecture series, in which distinguished speakers will address critical topics in international affairs, is a fitting tribute to his legacy. Ambassador Roemer, with his leadership experience in national security as a member of the 9/11 Commission, his recent tenure as U.S. ambassador to India and his service as a congressman from Indiana, is an ideal choice to inaugurate this series."

David Zaret, who this year succeeded O'Meara as vice president for international affairs, said: "Patrick O'Meara came to Indiana University more than 40 years ago as a native of South Africa , a staunch opponent of apartheid, conversant in several languages, and a scholar of African political systems. Long before the term 'globalization' became a household word, Patrick recognized that Indiana is linked in myriad ways to global events. He thus sought every opportunity to teach about and engage faculty, staff and students in the world beyond the borders of the U.S., and in doing so, significantly raised Indiana University's profile nationally and internationally.

"Underlying Patrick's many accomplishments at IU as student, faculty member, area studies director and vice president is a basic humanity and decency that enabled him to relate easily to people of very divergent backgrounds, to make friends for IU wherever he went, and to connect these individuals to IU's international mission," Zaret added. "Thus, the establishment of the O'Meara International Lecture is a fitting recognition of his contribution to international programs and studies at IU and in the United States."

O'Meara earned his doctorate at IU and has been a political science professor as well as a dean and vice president. As IU's first vice president for international affairs, he led the creation in 2008 of the International Strategic Plan, which focuses on increasing IU's presence throughout the world, strengthening its strategic international partnerships, attracting new international students and ensuring that IU students are prepared for the global economy.

Timothy Roemer served from 2009-11 as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of India. During his tenure, India became the 12th leading trade partner of the United States. Roemer and Indian Home Affairs Secretary G.K. Pillai signed the Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative, which expands cooperation in various security areas.

Roemer represented northern Indiana's 3rd District in Congress from 1991 to 2003. He was a key sponsor of legislation to establish the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as The 9/11 Commission, and served as one of its 10 members. After leaving Congress, Roemer was president of the Center for National Policy and served on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Presidential Task Force on Combating the Ideology of Radical Extremism, and the National Parks Second Century Commission. He is on the board of the Adams Memorial Foundation.

For more on the lecture, see https://www.iu.edu/~iuwebdev/projects/office-of-president/patrick_omeara_lecture/O/'Meara_Lecture_Flyer.pdf.

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