Wiesel, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a Boston University professor, is recognized worldwide as a leader in efforts promoting human rights as an author, lecturer and teacher. Wiesel’s memoir of the Holocaust, “Night,” has been translated into more than 30 languages and has sold millions of copies since its original publication in 1956.  It is required reading for many of today’s high school and college students.  The affordable $10 ticket price will allow more people to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Wiesel speak.

 

Sponsorships for the event also are available. Sponsorships support the Outstanding Leaders Forum Scholarship Fund which promotes leadership development and business education for college-aged young people in the community. In addition, more than 100 high school students are invited each year to the campus for a free leadership workshop and a question-and-answer session with the guest speaker. For sponsorship information, please contact the Wilkes University Special Events Office at 570-408-4306 or 4330.

 

The Outstanding Leaders Forum provides access to the inspiring insights and experience of recognized national and international leaders who embody the principles of authentic leadership and strategic excellence. The speakers are part of the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership’s goal to highlight the value of emotional intelligence and principled decision-making.

 

By showcasing the ideas, styles and actions of world leaders, Wilkes hopes to enrich the region’s quality of life and inspire students to reach their fullest potential. Past speakers include former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine  K. Albright,, former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox; retired General Colin L. Powell; and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.  

 
 

An ardent supporter of Israel, Wiesel was among the first to defend the causes of Soviet Jews, Nicaragua’s Miskito Indians, Argentina’s “Disappeared,” Cambodian refugees, the Kurds, South African apartheid victims, African famine victims, and prisoners in the former Yugoslavia. Most recently, he has championed the cause of victims of genocide in Darfur.

 

Wiesel and his wife Marion established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Its mission, rooted in the memory of the Holocaust, is to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs. In the United States, the foundation holds The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest and awards The Elie Wiesel Humanitarian Award.

 

In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in 1986, Wiesel is the recipient of the United Sates Congressional Gold Medal and the Medal of Liberty Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also has been honored with the rank of Grand-Croix in the French Legion of Honor and an honorary Knighthood of the British Empire. President Jimmy Carter appointed him Chairman of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust and he was Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council which created the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

 

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