Gen. Wesley Clark to Speak at UA Oct. 13

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark will present the Frank A. Nix Lecture at The University of Alabama Friday, Oct. 13.

The program, presented by UA’s Blackburn Institute, will be at 4 p.m. in Sellers Auditorium of the Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus. The public is invited.

During 34 years of service in the United States Army, Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. After his retirement in 2000, he became an investment banker, author, commentator and businessman. In September 2003 he entered politics as a Democratic candidate for president of the United States. His campaign won the state of Oklahoma before he returned to the private sector in February 2004.

In his final military command, Clark commanded Operation Allied Force, NATO’s first major combat action, which saved 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. He was also responsible for the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia.

Clark’s awards and honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the State Department Distinguished Service Award, the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and Honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments.

He is the author of two books: Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future of Combat (Public Affairs, New York, 2001) and Winning Modern War: Iraq, Terrorism and the American Empire (Public Affairs, New York, 2003).

Clark graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1966 and completed two degrees at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He is also a graduate of the Ranger and Airborne schools.

He currently serves in leadership roles with a number of non-profit public service organizations, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for American Progress, the International Crisis Group, City Year Little Rock, the National Endowment for Democracy, the United States Institute of Peace, and the General Accountability Office.

The Frank A. Nix Lecture honors the memory of Frank Albert Nix, a UA graduate, business leader and member of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Nix died tragically in an airplane crash in 1996, the same year he had been honored as the alumnus of the year by the UA National Alumni Association.

A native of Walker County, Nix earned his undergraduate degree in finance from UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration and his M.B.A. from Samford University. He founded Arlington Properties in 1969, and the company is now considered one of the premier privately owned apartment development companies in the Southeast.

The Nix Lecture was established by the Blackburn Institute to explore ethical leadership in the national arena.

The Blackburn Institute is designed to create a network of leaders, the Blackburn Fellows, who have a clear understanding of the challenges that face the state of Alabama. Outstanding UA students are nominated to participate in the institute as student fellows each year. Fellows explore issues and identify strategic actions that will improve the quality of life for all of Alabama’s citizens.

The Blackburn Institute is named for Dr. John L. Blackburn, a long-time UA administrator. Blackburn became dean of men at UA in 1958. In 1963, his dedication to progress and meticulous planning were credited as key elements in the historic peaceful integration of the University.

Blackburn served as vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Denver and returned to UA in 1978 as vice president for educational development. During his career he developed and implemented innovative theories on the restructuring of college campuses and his philosophy of student leaders as change agents for institutions and society.

For more information, visit http://blackburninstitute.ua.edu/.