General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, retired) will visit campus to speak with students and the local community during Colgate’s Family Weekend, Saturday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Colgate Memorial Chapel.
Professor Robert Kraynak, political science professor and director of Colgate’s Center for Freedom and Western Civilization will be the host and moderator. General Petraeus’s address will touch on the situation in the Middle East regarding Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the future of NATO, the ongoing nuclear standoff with North Korea, and a host of other issues related to the future of U.S. diplomacy with China and Russia.
One of the most prominent U.S. military figures of the post-9/11 era, Petraeus served for 37 years in the United States Army and is widely recognized for his leadership of the Surge in Iraq, which is credited for reducing violence in the country by more than 85 percent.
A graduate with distinction from the United States Military Academy, Petraeus is the only person in U.S. Army history to be the top graduate in both the U.S. Army’s challenging Ranger School and the year-long U.S. Army Command and General Staff College course. He earned his PhD in international relations and economics from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and later completed a fellowship at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Petraeus is a recipient of numerous U.S. Military, State Department, NATO, and United Nations medals, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Combat Action Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Master Parachutist Wings. In recent years, his writing has been published in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and has been a frequent contributor to TV news programs and documentaries.
The general’s visit is sponsored by the College Republicans, and the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization,which has been responsible for bringing other high-caliber speakers to campus including: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former U.S. Representative and presidential candidate Ron Paul, and journalist Juan Williams.
Petraeus’s visit is part of a full slate of Family Weekend events. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. Doors open at 7 p.m. and seating is first come, first served. Additional details about events and gatherings during family weekend will be updated online.