Former U.S. ambassador, WSU administrator Asif Chaudhry discusses “Global Impacts of Education” at Common Reading event April 11

PULLMAN, Wash.— Former U.S. Ambassador to Moldova and Washington State University alumnus and administrator Asif Chaudhry will discuss “Global Impacts of Education” on Tues., April 11 at 4:30 p.m. in CUE 203 as a guest of the Common Reading Program.  This event is free and open to the public.

Chaudhry, WSU vice president for international programs, will focus on Pakistan for his presentation. He plans to begin the lecture with a glimpse into his childhood there, and follow with a facilitated discussion on issues in that country. The current common reading book in first-year and other classes, I Am Malala, presents issues about the country, its culture, educational system, and gender politics.

For many who are reading the book and discussing topics from it in classes, the Chaudhry presentation and discussion offers the opportunity to gain an insider’s perspective and get answers, said Karen Weathermon, WSU Common Reading Program co-director.

WSU alumnus Chaudhry graduated with a doctorate in agricultural economics in 1988, and built a career in the U.S. Foreign Service that covered more than 20 years. He was minister counselor for agricultural affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, in charge of overseeing trade relations with multiple Middle Eastern countries. He served as ambassador to Moldova from 2008 to 2011, and has held positions at the U.S. embassies in Poland and Russia. Chaudhry returned to WSU in 2015 to accept his current position in international programs.

The Common Reading Program began in Pullman in 2007 to help students, their teachers, and the community better engage in academically centered critical thinking, communication, research, and learning around a body of shared information presented in a single, specially selected book. I Am Malala helped students explore a theme of “leadership and social justice.”

The next two-year theme for the program is “frontiers of technology, health, and society.”  The 2017-18 Common Reading book, Ready Player One, aligns with this theme and is the first-ever fiction novel selected in program; it will be used by first-year and other students in Pullman, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Everett, and the Global Campus. WSU Vancouver will use the novel Spare Parts for their 2017-18 Common Reading book. For more information about the Common Reading and upcoming events visit: https://CommonReading.wsu.edu/.

MEDIA: Karen Weathermon, Common Reading Program co-director, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-5488, kweathermon@wsu.edu

Emma Epperly, Communications and Marketing Assistant, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-9458, emmaepperly@wsu.edu