A discussion on “global leadership and innovation”

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 2006 Commencement honorees — General Wesley K. Clark, Peter Bohlin ’58, and Santiago Calatrava — will join President Shirley Ann Jackson in a colloquy on “Global Leadership and Innovation,” on Friday, May 19, at 4 p.m. at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies on 15th Street (at College Avenue) in Troy, N.Y.

“All of our distinguished honorees are global leaders, and have used their talents and energies to spur innovation to address common problems in uncommon ways,” said President Jackson, who will moderate the discussion. “These true Renaissance leaders will discuss how their unique and interdisciplinary approaches to life have led to global reach and impact for the benefit of others.”

Colloquy participants will include:

Wesley K. Clark, CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic advisory and consulting firm. He is one of the nation’s most distinguished retired military officers, having risen to the rank of four-star general during his 34 years of service in the United States Army. In his last position, General Clark was NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander and the Commander-in-Chief of the United States European Command. In 2004 General Clark was a candidate for the President of the United States.

Peter Bohlin ’58, a founding principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, an architecture firm with offices in Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco. The firm’s work has been honored with more than three hundred regional, national and international design awards since its inception in 1965. The firm teamed with Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann to  design Rensselaer’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary studies. Bohlin, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, received his bachelor of architecture degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his master’s degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Santiago Calatrava, founding principal of the firm Santiago Calatrava, with offices in Zurich and Valencia. His most recent commissions include designing the Symphony Center for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, Ga., and the Permanent World Trade Center PATH Terminal and 80 South Street Tower in New York City. Calatrava received his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland.

The Friday Colloquy will be held in conjunction with Rensselaer’s 200th Commencement on Saturday, May 20, at 9:30 a.m. at the Harkness Field. As previously announced, General Wesley K. Clark will deliver the 2006 Commencement address and also will receive an honorary degree.  In addition to the colloquy participants, Rensselaer also will award an honorary degree to FedEx Corporation founder, chairman, president, and CEO Fredrick W. Smith, during Saturday’s Commencement exercises.

Contact: Theresa Bourgeois
Phone: (518) 276-2840
E-mail: bourgt@rpi.edu