Contact: Sammy McDavid
The Republic of Croatia's ambassador to the United States will visit Mississippi State Wednesday [Jan. 28] before heading to Jackson to speak at a Thursday [the 29th] program.
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who was foreign minister of the Southeastern European democracy before becoming the top diplomat to this country last March, comes to the Magnolia State as a guest of the university's Janos Radvanyi Chair in International Security Studies. Co-sponsors include the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, along with Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration and the Social Science Research Center.
She is scheduled to tour campus during the afternoon with Kirk Schulz, research and economic development vice president. She also will meet with SSRC director Art Cosby and be briefed on the center's work, then travel to the nearby Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems to learn about research projects there.
Both the SSRC and CAVS are located across from campus in the Thad Cochran Research Park.
Thursday, the ambassador--a New Mexico high school graduate--will be featured speaker for a noon luncheon of Jackson's Executive Lecture Forum, which meets on this occasion at the Fairview Inn. "Croatia's Paths to EU and NATO integration and Prospects for the Future of Southeast Europe" will be the topic of her remarks. [Complete biographical information is available at www.msstate.edu/chair/radvanyi/upcoming.html.]
While in Jackson, Grabar-Kitarovic also is to meet with Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and officials of the Mississippi Development Authority, and be interviewed by Mississippi Public Radio.
Croatia, slightly smaller than West Virginia and with a population of some 4.5 million, was part of Yugoslavia until gaining independence in 1991. The Adriatic Sea forms its long western border.
While the ambassador's visit to MSU and Jackson does not involve any public events, interested members of the news media are welcomed to join the Wednesday campus tour or attend the Thursday ELF program. For complete schedule information, contact--as soon as possible--Tan Tsai of the Radvanyi Chair office at 662-325-4062.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.