It’s been a year full of events at the Mroz Global Leadership Institute. We welcomed fantastic speakers for public talks and discussions on international security, diplomacy, identity, languages, and cultures. We hosted the Ambassador of Estonia Kristjan Prikk for a talk on Euro-Atlantic security and General Michael Moseley for a discussion on international and domestic security challenges. Through the partnership with the Department of Hispanic Studies we co-hosted the Consul General of Brazil Luís Cláudio Santos and Counselor for Education at the Embassy of Spain Dr. Jesús Fernández González.
Our featured event of the year was a two-day summit on “Conflict, Cooperation, and Diplomacy: Perspectives on the Middle East, Latin America, China, and Russia.” We brought to campus a tremendous group of distinguished academics and practitioners who work on conflict resolution and cooperation. Our guests offered stimulating conversations on soft power and the possibility of conflict with China (Dr. Joseph Nye), cyber security (David Hickton), nuclear threats from Russia (Rose Gottemoeller), the conflict in the Middle East (Toni Verstandig), US foreign policy in Venezuela (Ambassador James Story), and the work of NGOs in conflict resolution (Dr. Jeff Helsing).
In January, we lost Karen Linehan Mroz, the biggest champion of the Mroz Institute. Karen was passionate about continuing the legacy of John Mroz and EWI. She became actively involved in the mentoring of CofC students to ensure that our students had the skills to be engaged global citizens. She played an active role in the Mroz Institute’s EWI Oral History Project. As a member of the Mroz Institute Steering Committee, Karen was instrumental in the Institute’s development. Karen meant a lot to our students and left a long-lasting legacy at the College. Her legacy will continue to live.
The spirit and values of EWI inspire the programs of the Mroz Institute as we transform today’s students into tomorrow’s global leaders. Our work and programming hinges on support from the EWI family, friends, and alumni and we appreciate your help, emails, visits, encouragement, and contributions.
We encourage you to participate through oral histories, joining us for future speakers in person or virtually, and as always we welcome your input.
Enjoy this 2023-24 Annual Report with an overview of the Mroz Institute’s programs during the 2023-2024 academic year. Visit the Mroz Institute YouTube Channel for recordings of previous talks, summits, and convenings at www.youtube.com/@MrozInstitute and check our schedule of upcoming events.
