Source: St. Mary's University
http://www.smu.ca/newsreleases/2006/10-17-17-17-2006.html 2006 Nobel Prize Winner to Speak at SMU: Muhammad Yunus expected to draw big audienceOctober 17, 2006 Professor
Muhammad Yunus, who is a recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, will
conduct a lecture at Saint Mary’s University. The world-acclaimed "Banker of the Poor" will speak from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
in the McNally Theatre Auditorium at Saint Mary’s on Tuesday, November 14. This event is free and is open to the public. University officials highly
suggest that those wishing to attend arrive early as seating will be
limited. Yunus established the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1983. His objective was
to help poor people escape from poverty by providing loans on terms suitable
to them and by teaching them a few sound financial principles so they could
help themselves. Today, the Grameen Bank is at the forefront of a burgeoning
world movement toward eradicating poverty through micro-lending. Replicas of
the Grameen Bank model operate in more than 100 countries worldwide. After studying at Dhaka University in Bangladesh, Yunus was awarded a
Fulbright scholarship to study economics at Vanderbilt University, from
which he received his Ph.D. in economics in 1969. The following year, he
became an assistant professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State
University. Returning to Bangladesh, Yunus headed the economics department
at Chittagong University. >From 1993 to 1995, Yunus was a member of the International Advisory Group
for the Fourth World Conference on Women, a post to which he was appointed
by the UN secretary general. He has served on the Global Commission of
Women’s Health, the Advisory Council for Sustainable Economic Development
and the UN Expert Group on Women and Finance. Yunus is the recipient of numerous international awards for his ideas and
endeavors, including the Mohamed Shabdeen Award for Science (1993),Sri
Lanka; Humanitarian Award (1993), CARE, USA; World Food Prize (1994), World
Food Prize Foundation, USA; Independence Day Award (1987), Bangladesh’s
highest award; King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Award (2000), King
Hussien Foundation, Jordan; Volvo Environment Prize (2003), Volvo
Environment Prize Foundation, Sweden; Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth
(2004), Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan; Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Award
(2006), Roosevelt Institute of The Netherlands; and the Seoul Peace Prize
(2006), Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, Seoul, Korea. Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both
in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to
one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for
its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a
vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. -30- For More Information: Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
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