Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to speak at UTPA this week

EDINBURG — The University of Texas-Pan American is going green for its seventh-annual International Week event.

The university, and several others throughout the country, is slated to run a series of events this week to promote awareness of other cultures.

International Education Week, which begins Monday and ends Friday, is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to prepare students for work in a global environment.

This year’s UTPA theme is “Earth Matters.” Its activities include art exhibits, speeches and panels to address environmental changes, global politics, economics, health and other issues.

Marilu Salazar, director of the university’s office of international programs, which heads up the event, said members of the programs’ advisory committee decided to focus on the environment this year because of all the attention within media, political and pop culture circles.

“It’s really a hot topic,” she said. “We thought this was the best time to put it out there.”

The weeklong festivities also include a speech from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmentalist, attorney, author and son of slain U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. He is also a nephew of slain President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy is slated to discuss “Our Environmental Destiny” on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the university’s fine arts auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.

His scheduled appearance is the latest in the university’s “Distinguished Speaker” series. Last month, former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev spoke at the university.

For a full listing of events, visit www.utpa.edu/dept/internaionalprograms.

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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.