Denison: Robert Gates, 22nd US Sec of Defense

Robert Gates, the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense, will speak at Denison University at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, in Swasey Chapel (20 Chapel Drive). The lecture, sponsored by the Lugar Lecture Series in Public Policy, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mary Frazell at 740-587-6611 or visit Denison.edu. Gates is the only secretary of defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected president. President Barack Obama is the eighth president Gates has served, continuing the service he began under President George W. Bush. President Obama awarded Gates the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America?s highest civilian honor. "Robert Gates record of public service and bipartisan engagement in foreign policy exemplifies the values of the Lugar Program, and provides a role model for our students as they contemplate their post-Denison futures," said Andrew Katz, associate professor of political science. The Lugar Program in Politics and Public Policy is delighted to welcome Dr. Gates to campus. Gates has been awarded the National Security Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, has three times received the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and has three times received the CIA?s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. He has authored two memoirs; ?Duty, Memoirs of a Secretary at War,? a straightforward, vividly written account of his experience serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and ?From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider?s Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War,? which details his career as a CIA officer at the center of power during a time when the threat of global annihilation informed America?s every move. Gates joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 and spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional. During that period, he served for nearly nine years at the National Security Council for the White House, under four presidents of both political parties. Gates served as director of the CIA from 1991 until 1993. He is the only career officer in the CIA's history to rise from entry-level employee to director. He served as deputy director of the CIA from 1986 until 1989 and as assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser at the White House from January, 1989, until November, 1991, for President George H.W. Bush. Gates currently serves on the board of directors of Starbucks and is partner in the consulting firm, RHG LLP, with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others. He also has served on the board of directors and executive committee of the American Council on Education, the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and is president of the Boy Scouts of America. He also has been president of the National Eagle Scout Association. Denison University is a leading national college of liberal arts and sciences where students from around the world come to pursue academic inquiry and research, to analyze and solve problems, and to forge the skills needed to succeed. On a beautiful, fully residential campus, students build enduring relationships and pathways to the professions, supported by faculty mentorship in classrooms, laboratories and studios; through a wealth of career-launch programs and internships; and in partnership with a thriving, far-reaching alumni network. Denison's place at the forefront of higher education is recognized by "Colleges That Change Lives," U.S. News, and Forbes, among others.