Former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo to Speak at Colorado State University Sept. 28

Ernesto Zedillo, president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, will speak at Colorado State University at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in Moby Arena. Zedillo’s lecture is supported by the Monfort Family as part of the Monfort Lecture Series at Colorado State.

Zedillo will speak on globalization and emerging markets, particularly in Central and South America. He will share his perspective on how Central and South America may influence markets, policy and politics around the globe. Through his educational background in economics and experience in global politics, Zedillo has a unique perspective on globalization, particularly the critical relationship between developed and developing countries. He currently serves as director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

Tickets will be available beginning 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, at the Campus Box Office by calling (970) 491-4TIX or visiting www.csutix.com. The Campus Box Office has two locations. The University Center for the Arts box office on Remington Street is open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday, and the Lory Student Center box office is open from noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free; however, a ticket is required for entry to the lecture. There is a limit of 10 tickets per customer. To request tickets for groups larger than 10, contact University Events at events@ua.colostate.edu or call (970) 491-4634.

While president of Mexico, Zedillo worked to pave the way for a fresh, democratic climate while attacking the roots of political corruption. He tried to reduce the disparity between rich and poor, which helped to stabilize the Mexican economy through increased exports and responsible control of taxation. During his presidency, Zedillo undertook bold democratic and electoral reforms, opening the way for greater political pluralism in a nation long dominated by a single party.

Zedillo’s perspective on the wide effects of global economic policies has been shaped by his working-class beginnings. Born in Mexico City, Zedillo attended Mexican public schools, graduated from the School of Economics at the National Polytechnic Institute then earned a doctorate in economics at Yale. He held several positions at the Central Bank of Mexico over the course of a nine-year tenure with that institution, including deputy manager of economic research, general director of the trust fund for the renegotiation of private firms’ external debt, and finally, deputy director. He served in the national government from 1987 to 1993 as undersecretary of the Budget, secretary of the Budget and Economic Planning, and secretary of Education. He was elected president of Mexico in 1994.

Since leaving office in 2000, Zedillo has remained a leading voice on globalization, especially its impact on relations between developed and developing nations. He currently serves as co-coordinator of the Task Force on Trade for the United Nations Millennium Project and was recently elected to chair the Global Development Network, a global network of research and policy institutes that address problems of national and regional development.

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