FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 2, 2002

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

DRAKE ESTABLISHES CENTER FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Drake University is developing a Center for Global Citizenship with the support of a $225,000 gift from Des Moines business leaders Rolland W. and Mary Nelson, and a $25,000 gift from Richard S. Cusac, a member of Drake's Board of Trustees.

The center's mission is to educate students to function effectively in different cultural contexts and to ensure that global and international perspectives and issues are an integral part of the intellectual and cultural experience of all members of the Drake community.

The center will invite community leaders to speak to the Drake community about their experiences with global/international issues. In addition, community organizations will be invited to participate in the center's conferences and special events.

"We are delighted to receive major gifts for the Drake Center for Global Citizenship from three individuals who have all enjoyed distinguished careers in international business," said Drake President David Maxwell. "With their support, we are developing Drake University's first integrated effort to examine global and international issues and perspectives in a cross-disciplinary manner and on a university-wide basis."

Rolland W. Nelson, a 1950 Drake graduate, is founder and chairman of Kemin Industries Inc. and his wife, Mary, is vice president of the company, which manufactures specialty products for a wide variety of nutritional applications.

"It is our hope that the Center for Global Citizenship will improve the cultural relationships that will extend beyond Drake University," Rolland W. Nelson said. "The fostering of better understanding of diverse cultures will improve the quality of life of all participants."

Cusac, a Drake alumnus, is a strategic business consultant who has worked abroad for nearly 20 years, serving in senior positions with CitiCorp (now CitiGroup) in Asia and the Middle East, as CEO of the Gulf Bank of Kuwait, and managing director of Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in London. He now resides in Incline Village, Nev., and Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

"There is a great need for all of us to be more effective in a global context," Cusac said. "In its formative stage at Drake, I actively supported the concept. Now, I want to help the center achieve its potential."

David Skidmore, professor of politics and international relations at Drake, has been named director of the center. "This gift will allow Drake to provide its students, faculty and staff with a rich array of opportunities to explore international affairs and to consider the responsibilities of global citizenship," Skidmore said.

The center will pursue objectives in four basic areas: academic programming and educational opportunities, faculty development, global programs and initiatives and community outreach.