After working at the top tiers of the United States government for 27 years, Robert M. Gates has found his way to UB.
Gates, the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense and former Central Intelligence Agency director, will speak Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena. His lecture will be the first in the 2011-12 UB Speaker Series and is an official event of Inauguration Week, a university-wide celebration that will culminate in the investiture of Satish K. Tripathi as president on Friday.
Gates retired as Secretary of Defense on July 1.
After a 26-year career with the CIA and the National Security Council – during which he served as director of the agency, among other positions – Gates succeeded Donald Rumsfeld as U.S. Secretary of Defense under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was the first secretary of defense to be asked to remain in his position by a newly elected president.
Throughout his career, Gates focused on bipartisanship and has been lauded as "breaker of barriers" by media and politicians alike. He is known for speaking against overreliance on military intervention as a tool of American foreign policy. He also was the driving force behind the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Gates received his bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary, his master's degree in history from Indiana University, and his doctorate in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University.
Gates was the president of Texas A&M University, the nation's seventh-largest university, for four years before accepting the secretary of defense position.
Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for free tickets to the event, available in the Student Association office at 350 Student Union and the SBI Ticket Office at 221 SU, respectively.
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